Star Babe

Because of the girl's mythical attire, it would be difficult to move around without raising questions. When Crush told her she looked too conspicuous, she summoned the same utilities he used. The difference was that her Window was tinted purple, and her inventory was a magical door large enough to physically enter. And she did. Pranced right inside like a walk-in closet, walking out emulating his style. She modified everything but her wild hair, eyes, and the star-shaped halos around her wrist and ankles. He wished she'd picked something else because his Renaissance blouse shirt exposed ample space around his chest. A few centimeters in any direction, and he would have different concerns to address other than her being the alleged dungeon dimension core.

He kept her close as he led her into the Guild Hall. The stares that settled upon them were harsh. He'd need a damn good excuse for taking a girl wearing his shirt up to his private chamber.

It was fortuitous that everyone had relocated from the room. Crush had to wonder what she, it, they? Whatever that entity was, he didn't know if his brother would be in danger in her presence. His... "Trickery" could be risky.

The human-like core's unfiltered exhilaration didn't sell the notion that she was their end goal, not with how she jigged around and gawked at the charming home.

She was a "what? and how?" girl. Always asking questions. Despite looking human, she didn't know much about Earth's regularities. There needed to be a caution sign on the bean bag because as she sunk into the soft, knitted cotton seat, she involuntarily shuddered and emitted an awkward, womanly moan.

Even with the blessing of magic, it seemed they didn't have comfortable furniture where she was from.

While she enjoyed herself, Crush pitched the first and simplest question, which was why she was there. Certainly, she, the dungeon creator, wasn't there just to drool at her handiwork that'd killed many humans.

YEA turns out that's precisely why she was there. According to her, she was notified that a boss monster had been challenged in Dungeon F-13, and she wanted to see how humans faired against it. Terrible.

Since she was already there, so she decided to drop by and meet the person exploiting her system. Grab a cup of tea. Or something.

The Window itself was unknown, so Crush summoned his own to ask why he had it. The girl groaned as she had to sit up in her seat to look closer at the screen.

"Player?" She said, reading the transparent panel. "We created this system to alter elements of the dungeons. Seems Father repurposed the design to aid your kind."

"It's tweaked a lot; every editorial privilege is revoked, likely cause we would sense if you altered our creations."

"Well, you found me anyways, so that was fucking pointless," retorted Crush. Her unawareness had led him to believe that she wasn't the one that gifted him the system, just its creator.

The mythical girl quietly gazed at Crush momentarily. Her purple, starry eyes were plunging, unnerving. He felt that if he lingered in her vision, he'd be whisked away into her irises like a black hole and teleported into infinite space.

She finally blinked, then rolled her eyes back and giggled. "Fine, I'll tell you since you're begging me so badly."

(("Who's begging about what?"))

She held up her left palm and extended her star-painted fingernails. "We consist of five."

"Lith created the concept of the Window. Only that portion of the core can sense the location of other system users."

"Father knew Lith would find you. It was confident Lith wouldn't erase you once they did."

On the couch, Crush hunched forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Then you're Lith, a portion of the whole core. And what? You're not gonna kill me or rat me out to the others?"

Lith lowered her hand, grinned, then bounced back into the bean bag to sink into the material. She replied in a snug, diminishing voice as if she was falling asleep, "We're only spectators. We find you interesting."

"We, as in you, Lith, or the entire collective?" Questioned Crush.

A modest yawn fled her painted lips, and she shut her eyes to the question. "Just Lith. If we found out about your abnormality, we would destroy you."

"This is fucking confusing, but I think I get it," murmured Crush. "I'll have to be careful not to attract the attention of the other four pieces of the core."

He felt out of sorts being so uptight in front of the lounging girl, so he slid back on the couch. He threw his head back against the fluffy cushion, then added, "Thanks for not selling me out, I guess."

When Lith was unresponsive, he peeked over at her only to notice the overly girlish star babe had become one with the seat. She lay there without bones, limp, motionless aside from her steady breathing.

"I guess they don't have bean bags where you're from."

Lith remained idle, but her mouth motioned slightly in utterance, "Bean bag? I like this... bean bag. Maybe I'll visit more often."

Crush released a king-sized exhale from the stress he experienced from their encounter. He also shut his eyes, then kicked his feet up on the coffee table located in front of his seat. "Please, don't."

It fell quiet for some time. This offered respite for Crush to consider how he would kick out the girl, who was basically a God of creation. He also utilized his mind's privacy to reflect on everything she said.

(("So she's only part of a collective, roaming core. That must be why daddy door never managed to destroy them; they were always mobile. I have a lot more questions, but I don't want to test their patience any more than I already have."))

More minutes passed, and he, too, began to succumb to the vice-grip of slumber. His body loosened as he teetered on the zipline between consciousness and darkness.

((Tired...))

Just as he slipped away, an upset, disorderly "HEY!!" boomed from the girl. Crush's eyes burst open under the impression she'd snapped and readied to kill him. But before he could react or reach for his hidden dagger, she shot up from her seat, leaped to the couch, and landed on top of him. Her hip slammed against his own, and her knees pinned his arms against the sofa.

While he struggled to free himself, he noticed she was much lighter than she appeared, yet, her strength pinned him down like a flower under a boulder. The way her open top swayed only inches from revealing her entire bust and the peculiar fact that she smelled like vanilla was dangerous.

She needed to settle whatever she wanted quickly because she happened to mount on the one location Crush had no control over. Lith pressed against his chest with her left hand and, with the right, dug through his pockets and withdrew his necklace of Class Crystals. "Ah, ha!"

She held them up triumphantly, then glazed over the gems with a saucy snicker. "Let's see- Carpenter, Tailor, and..."

Lith's starry eyes broadened, her purple lips parted, and her tone fell short and deathly. She whispered in a fading, grieving voice, "And... Coupler."

Her strength diminished over Crush, allowing him to free his arms and the dagger he'd reached for. Still, he didn't strike her while she was shock-still. There wasn't any guarantee it'd work, and he'd become slightly charmed by her. Those eyes that confined all the stars in the universe fluttered as they held back tears and sorrow.

Lith clasped the Crystal between both of her hands and brought it to her face while mournfully mumbling in another language. Crush had the notion that whatever language she was speaking was identical to the magic scroll that let him learn the skill "itch." However curious he was, he didn't dare interrupt.

The moment seemed to dredge on. It was a first for him, having a female crying so near. In most instances he'd seen, the guy would pull them in close and comfort them; however, he wouldn't. She was just an outsider that barged into his life and then had the nerves to be hysterical on top of him. He likely would have shoved her if it wasn't for her rotten reputation as the all-powerful Dungeon Core/ End game boss.

Eventually, Lith ceased her sniffles long enough to command Crush to use his Window. He did as told, then she operated his terminal as if it were hers.

"Hidden Classes," she said, pausing on a single page. Her expression shifted, blowing up from sad to furious. "One-of-a-kind Crystals that Father couldn't replicate for their stupid mission."

"Coupler, Ranger, Sage, Necromancer, these all belonged to our departed..."

Lith pulled back her fist and slammed it into the cabin's timber wall. Pieces of wood blasted at the back of Crush's head when it shattered. The outside air and green light flooded into the room and sent an emergency message of flight through Crush's nervous system.

"It dug up their graves!" She roared, madly smashing the system window next. She turned her deadly gaze to Crush, who'd previously thought it was ridiculous that people in movies pissed themself in fear. However, at that moment, he understood. If he had a full bladder, it'd be sinking into the sofa at that moment.

"Don't believe a word the Architect says!"

"We were just like you once. We had families and friends; we explored dungeons and, leveled up as a party, fell in love!"

Lith disembarked from Crush and took a final, affectionate glance at his Class Crystal. "When the door appeared, it ruined our lives and wrecked our world."

The floor underneath Crush rumbled. It rattled like a baby's shaker, jostling his nerves even more. Not just the room but the building and the entire Hub they were situated in. Crush gripped the couch's cousin to hold steady, snapping his head left and right in concern.

Were there earthquakes in fictional dungeons? Will this bring down my log kingdom? His mind spun in circles, worrying about his treasures and unaccounted brother.

Lith grabbed his jaw and angled his unsteady sight up to her. She wanted his concentration. Her olive skin was tinted green from the outside cotton tree thanks to the hole in the wall. However, it slowly and spontaneously dimmed into a red shade. As she spoke, the saturation only increased, leaking into the entire room.

The entire room had become a ruby horror by the time she finished. Everything, even his own skin, was smeared red. The source was the illuminating tree that hung upside down on the cave ceiling. He'd believed it'd always be that beautiful green it provided the Hub with. However, that wasn't the case, and it bled a deep strawberry stain across their home.

Lith stood, tossed the Coupler Crystal back to Crush, then peered outside the hole in the wall. "The dungeon feels threatened. It's evolving."

"What the hell does that mean?" Questioned Crush.

"There are several factors that could cause a dungeon to evolve. One, being a much higher-level adventurer, revealed themself."

On Earth, "smurf, or griefer," was the term he'd been labeled with for entering low-ranked chess tournaments for cash grabs. Maybe it was karma.

There was an entire dictionary of foul words he could utilize against her, but he throttled his temper. "It's cause you're here. It's your creation, isn't it? Do something."

Lith bounced into the crater in the wall, face still indignant. "We are merely spectators. However, on my accountability, I will leave you with this."

"Once magnificent and bright. Now afraid of your blight. You've betrayed my bountiful bed, now bath in red. Your source of bread will house your dead, and my champion of light will not stop until he has your life."

With her enigma delivered, she disappeared. Crush was left with a blank, quiet expression as he plainly stared at his busted home. He remained still while the rest of the world moved on, then he mumbled to himself.

"I wonder if this will affect business..."