Chapter 47 - Contract

Ash scowled slightly at Luna as she finished reciting everything she had in her combat pouch to Gardenia and the priestess handed her several more items to add to it. It had already been easily proven the day prior that Ash's resistances to status effects were lower than they should have been, so various ways to remove the debuffs were included. She had the goblet in her inventory, filled with water from her pond in case their delve into the dungeon included a night of camping in a safe zone.

Luna had a look of mischief about her, something that bothered Ash considering she wasn't part of said mischief, "Leave my garden plans alone," she grumbled, having spoken more of them throughout the bath and other rituals of her morning, "I want to do the planting myself."

"Duly noted," she said cheerily and waved before turning away and heading towards the market, leaving Ash with Yarrow and the others.

The trip to the dungeon was uneventful and they soon found themselves standing before the door. Quite a number of guards stood around it, warning off the curious Godsborn that seemed to want to be the first to explore and claim any loot the dungeon may have.

A man in marvelous golden armor stood directly in front of the doors, accents of a gentle blue-violet serving in combination to mark him as a highly ranked paladin of Lord Virtus. His eyes were pale white, tinged with the slightest hint of blue that kept them from feeling too eerie. His gaze shifted to them and his large wings, their outer structure lightly armored shifted to reveal him as one of the races Lord Virtus himself had created. Which of the two remained a mystery as the armor on his wings created a shining barrier of light around them.

He turned his head to address several of the others with him and they moved to get the crowd parted and allow their party in. Once they stood before him, he placed the tip of his sword on the ground and spread his wings widely.

"Per the Discovery Contract written by the gods, the party that stumbles upon a new dungeon whether by morph or luck is to be offered the first chance to explore it," his voice rang out clearly, "Our presence here is a physical warning, were any other to try to enter they would find themselves chastised by Lord Virtus," he pinned Yarrow with his pale eyes, "Do you wish to challenge this dungeon or will you pass on your duty to someone else?"

"We accept the challenge," Yarrow returned with a firm nod, "We will return with information on what may be found within the dungeon."

A familiar voice rang out from the top of the door, drawing everyone's gaze immediately followed by them at the very least inclining their head in deference. Ash held his golden eyes, watching the amused smirk that played about his lips though she did nod a slight greeting to the god. The man standing before the door did the same, marking him as a Blazewing, one of Lord Virtus' races constructed from his own magic. Those made directly of a gods magic did not owe deference to another god though they could choose to give it.

"This party will also be key in determining whether or not this dungeon can be salvaged or whether I must call for its connection to be severed. The pantheon will not allow a dungeon whose danger exceeds the wealth it can offer to remain."

She heard the whispers of the Earthborn, that they'd always thought of Lucrum as the lord of dungeons. He had clearly named domains that were not that of the dungeon itself in the way he spoke. Rather than calling for destruction of the dungeon, he used the word connection and he worried about the wealth the dungeon offered. Showing up to outline their purpose clearly, to assign them a divine quest, had been a smart move, his true domains would begin to spread.

His gaze moved to their party, taking in each member as he grinned in amusement, "I do believe I will also be using my power to broadcast whatever I see fit of this expedition, should the party in question be willing. I believe that it will be both enlightening and entertaining for others to see how an experienced party that has dismantled many dungeons handles a new one."

Yarrow inhaled sharply, as if uncertain of what to do. One didn't simply turn down a request from a god, but he had been showing a lot of interest in Ashterra and Sidus seemed irritated with him. It was a delicate balancing act they were suddenly thrust into.

Gardenia was the one who spoke first, raising her head to meet the god's eyes as they moved to acknowledge her change in position and offering a light curtsy in greeting, "While normally we might accept without question the requests of a member of the pantheon, I have some requests that must be made."

Lucrum's grin turned slightly mischievous, "Even the gods abide by contracts. I will hear your requests and we shall negotiate," he turned his gaze towards the Blazewing, who watched him with idle curiosity, "You will witness in the name of your god, yes?"

A slight nod was the answer, followed by him speaking once more, "I, Ailanthus, will bear witness in the name of Lord Virtus," a flash of power crackled around him before settling.

Gardenia took a deep breath before speaking, "We would prefer our conversations remain unheard," she stated simply.

"Conversations, certainly, battle commands might be necessary to provide context to what is happening, however," he returned, which Gardenia conceded, "Commands relevant to battle only, then. Should you mention something such as, say, a person's rank within the temple or a member of their family, I will not broadcast that information. Is that acceptable?"

When Gardenia agreed, he asked her to move on to the next request, "There are those among us that would prefer their rather unique techniques not be broadcast to the entire world," she began, hesitating at how exactly to explain without exposing anything.

"Spellwork will not be exposed, nor will special abilities that are quite rare or even unique to an individual. Should someone see something they want to do and wish to do so themselves, they will have to find their own way. Lady Prudentia would have it no other way," he responded with a dismissive wave of his hand, "My plan is to showcase mostly combat, perhaps some navigation of traps, not the entirety of what you are doing within the dungeon," his eyes swept out to the crowd, "And this is a contract I will begin to offer more often as I see those that are worthy of providing entertainment for the world. One might call this instance an…experiment. To see if there is interest in such things."

Ash had already caught onto what was happening. In essence, he was going to use the dungeons to make trailers for Fantastoria within her own world. Likely he'd display it within this world as well, hoping that even the Earthborn would find entertainment in the exploits of those that explored dungeons.

He and Gardenia continued back and forth until a satisfactory contract was drawn up at which point he stood atop the door, "The contract is made and witnessed. I wish you luck in your exploration," with that he was gone as suddenly as he'd appeared and Ailanthus moved to allow them into the dungeon.