​The giant doors opened with a heavy, industrial hiss, revealing the humid sanctuary of Floor 2.

​Reed stepped out, gesturing grandly with a hand that was still shaking slightly from the adrenaline of the hallway incident.

Beside him, High Inquisitor Kaelen didn't walk so much as float.

​She stumbled slightly, her shoulder bumping heavily into Reed's arm. Her face was flushed a deep, alarming crimson, and her eyes were wide and unfocused, tracking the movement of the bioluminescent spores floating in the air.

​"It's sparkly," Kaelen whispered, giggling. A small arc of white static electricity popped off her ear. "Reed. The air is spicy."

​"It's humidity, Inquisitor," Reed hissed under his breath, grabbing her elbow to keep her upright. "Pull it together. You look like you've been huffing potions."

​"I feel... fuzzy," she murmured, leaning her weight against him. "Like a warm cloud. Can we go back to the ice room? The steam was nice. It tasted like... buzzing."

​Commander Thorne, waiting by the pool edge, turned to face them. His eyes narrowed instantly.

​"This," Reed announced, his voice echoing off the white marble walls, "is the Grotto. Our premier relaxation facility."

​High Inquisitor Kaelen walked beside him, her face still flushed a suspicious shade of pink. She was smoothing her tabard aggressively, as if trying to iron out the memory of the steam-filled stairwell with her bare hands. She looked less like an Inquisitor and more like someone who had just walked out of a romance novel and was trying to find her place back in a textbook.

​Commander Thorne followed, his heavy boots clanking on the heated tiles. He looked miserable.

​"It's... wet," Thorne observed, wrinkling his nose. He kept his hand near his sword, scanning the room. "And dark. Perfect for an ambush."

​"It's ambient lighting, Commander," Reed corrected, stepping around a glowing fern. "It encourages the release of tension. Something I believe you desperately need."

​Thorne grunted, walking to the edge of the nearest infinity pool. The water was crystal clear, illuminated from within by violet mana crystals.

​"No monsters," Thorne muttered, sounding almost disappointed. "Just... hot water."

​"We keep the monsters in the back," Reed lied smoothly. "Except for the staff, of course."

​As if on cue, a familiar, wet shh-luck sound echoed from the Massage Pavilion.

​"Welcome! Welcome to the wet place!"

​Luma surged up from a drainage grate near the central obsidian platform.

​She was in her "Customer Service" mode, which meant she was vibrating with enthusiasm. The Magitech Collar around her neck hummed, projecting a hard-light hologram of a crisp white spa uniform over her blue, gelatinous body.

​However, the high humidity was messing with the emitters. The uniform flickered wildly, phasing between a modest tunic, a bikini, and for a brief, terrifying second, a lobster costume.

​"Hello!" Luma chirped, sliding across the tiles and leaving a sparkling trail of slime. "Are you here for the moistening? Or the heating? I can do both!"

​Thorne took a step back, his eyes widening.

​"A Slime," Thorne spat. "A high-tier variant. Disgusting. It's leaking."

​"I am not leaking!" Luma argued, crossing her arms (which caused her holographic sleeves to dissolve into pixels). "I am secreting luxury!"

​Before Thorne could decide whether to purge the slime or just leave, the doors to the stairwell opened again.

​Lord Valerius stumbled out.

​The nobleman looked significantly worse for wear than when he had entered the casino. His cravat was undone. He was sweating. He was clutching his left hand, where his pinky finger looked swollen and red, a souvenir from Maira's "audit".

​Two of his armored bodyguards flanked him. They looked angry, likely because their employer had just lost a small fortune and they were worried about their paychecks.

​"A bath," Valerius muttered, storming past Reed without acknowledging him. "I need a bath. And wine. Bring me the most expensive wine you have. Put it on my tab."

​He collapsed onto a stone bench near the central pool, wincing as he jarred his hand.

​"That demon woman," Valerius hissed to his guards. "She's a witch. A math-witch. She counted cards that hadn't even been dealt yet."

​"My Lord," one of the guards, a burly man with a scar across his nose, growled. "This place is a scam. Look at it. Smoke and mirrors. And that thing..."

​The guard pointed a gauntleted finger at Luma.

​"It's just a puddle with a face. Probably creates the wine out of sewer water."

​Luma gasped, her internal bubbles freezing in shock.

​"That is rude!" Luma squeaked. "I am filtered! I am 99% pure mana-water! I taste like blueberries!"

​"Blueberries?" The guard sneered. He stepped forward, looming over the Slime Girl. "Let's see if you splash."

​He reached out, intending to shove Luma backward into the pool.

​Reed's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to trigger a [Void Command].

​He didn't need to.

​BOOM.

​The water in the magma-heated pool behind the guard exploded.

​A massive, rocky shape rose from the steam like a primordial god waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

​Terra stood up.

​The Magma Golem was towering, her stone skin glowing a dull, threatening grey-red. She wore her fire-proof salamander towel like a toga, and the brass name tag pinned to her granite chest caught the light.

​TERRA – THERAPIST

​She didn't shout. She moved with the terrifying speed of a landslide.

​A massive stone hand, the size of a shovel, clamped down on the guard's shoulder.

​"NO," Terra rumbled.

​The sound vibrated through the floor, making the water in the cups ripple.

​The guard froze. He tried to turn, but Terra's grip was absolute.

​"NO TOUCHING THE JELLY," Terra stated.

​[SYSTEM ALERT]

[Skill Active: BOUNCER MODE]

[Effect: Grapple Check (Critical Success)]

[Sub-Routine: GENTLE CRUSH]

​She lifted the guard.

​He was a big man, wearing full plate armor, probably weighing 250 pounds. Terra lifted him with one arm, her feet not even shifting on the tiles.

​She didn't throw him. She didn't punch him.

​She simply pressed him against the marble wall.

​Craaaaack.

​The sound of his breastplate bending under the pressure was loud in the quiet grotto.

​"JELLY IS SOFT," Terra explained, leaning down until her glowing yellow eyes were inches from the guard's terrified face. "YOU ARE HARD. IF YOU POKE JELLY... I POKE YOU."

​She poked him in the chest with a finger like a stone sausage. It dented the steel.

​"UNDERSTOOD?"

​"Y-yes!" the guard squeaked, his feet dangling six inches off the floor. "Understood! No jelly!"

​Terra dropped him.

​He hit the floor with a clang and scrambled backward, hiding behind Valerius.

​Thorne watched the entire exchange. His hand had moved to his sword, but he hadn't drawn it. He looked... impressed.

​"Discipline," Thorne noted, nodding slowly. "The Golem defends the weaker unit. Efficient."

​"We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment," Reed said smoothly, stepping forward. "Staff safety is paramount."

​He turned to Valerius, who was looking pale.

​"Lord Valerius," Reed smiled. "You look tense. The stress of the... audit... can be damaging to the humors. Perhaps you require our signature treatment?"

​"Treatment?" Valerius eyed Terra fearfully. "If it involves the rock, I decline."

​"Not the rock," Reed corrected. "The Jelly."

​He gestured to Luma.

​"Luma is our Master Healer. She specializes in... Total Immersion Therapy."

​Luma perked up instantly, forgetting the insult. Her hologram flickered to a nurse's outfit for a split second, and for a brief, terrifying second, a penguin suit..

​"Yes!" Luma cheered. "I can fix the knots! I can dissolve the stress! I can be very... encompassing!"

​Valerius looked at his throbbing hand. He looked at Luma's soft, translucent blue curves.

​"Does it hurt?" Valerius asked suspiciously.

​"It feels like floating," Reed promised. "Like returning to the womb. Only wetter."

​Valerius hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. I have credit here, apparently. I want the best package."

​"The 'Abyssal Deep Tissue'," Reed ordered. "Luma, proceed."

​Valerius sat on the edge of the massage table.

​Luma didn't use her hands. She stepped forward and simply... fell.

​She dissolved her humanoid form, turning into a thick, sentient wave of blue slime. She washed over Valerius's legs, surging up to his waist, then his chest, stopping just at his neck.

​"Gah!" Valerius gasped as the heavy, cool weight settled over him.

​He was trapped. He was encased in a living suit of high-grade medicinal slime.

​"Oh," Valerius breathed, his eyes widening. "Oh, my."

​The [Soothing Aura] kicked in. The slime vibrated against his skin, massaging every muscle simultaneously. The pain in his hand vanished, replaced by a tingling, euphoric numbness.

​"It's... incredible," Valerius slurred, his head lolling back. "I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my debts."

​"Excellent," Reed whispered to Luma via the link. Now, the upsell.

​Luma tightened.

​She increased the viscosity of her slime. The massage turned into a vice. It wasn't painful, but it was absolute confinement. Valerius tried to lift his arm to drink his wine.

​He couldn't move.

​"What?" Valerius panicked slightly. "I... I can't move. Release me!"

​"The treatment requires stillness!" Luma bubbled, her voice resonating through his chest. "You have too many toxins! The Gold Toxins! They are weighing you down!"

​"Gold toxins?" Valerius wheezed. "That's not a thing!"

​"It is here," Reed interposed. "A common ailment among the wealthy. Heavy purse, heavy heart. Luma can sense it. She can't release you until the... blockage... is cleared."

​Reed held out a small obsidian slate. A tip screen.

​"A gratuity for the therapist usually helps lubricate the process," Reed suggested. "For the extra effort."

​Valerius looked at Reed. He looked at Terra, who was cracking her knuckles nearby. He felt Luma squeezing his diaphragm.

​"Fine!" Valerius choked out. "Five hundred! Just let me breathe!"

​He tapped his signet ring against the slate.

​Ding.

​[SYSTEM ALERT]

[Transaction Complete]

[Tip Received: 500 Gold]

[Luma Status: SATISFIED]

​Luma immediately loosened up, turning back into a warm,

bubbly liquid that gently massaged his shoulders.

​"All better!" Luma chirped.

​Valerius slumped, panting. "I... I need another drink."

​Reed checked his HUD.

​[Current Gold: 4,000]

[Bridge Fund: 80%]

​He looked at Thorne.

​The Commander was staring at Valerius, who was now drooling slightly while encased in slime.

​"You exploit their vices," Thorne said, his voice hard. "You trap them with pleasure."

​"I give them what they want, Commander," Reed said softly. "Is that a crime?"

​"It's worse," Thorne grumbled, turning away. "It's commerce."

​"Speaking of commerce," Reed checked the time. "I believe the Arena is prepped. Shall we see if your blade is as sharp as your tongue?"

​Thorne's eyes lit up. Finally. Something he understood.

​"Lead on, Monster," Thorne said. "I am done with the wet."

Reed guided Kaelen toward the stairs. She stumbled again, and he had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her steady.

​"You're warm," she mumbled into his wet coat. "You're like a furnace. But nice."

​"Walk now, swoon later," Reed whispered.

​Reed gestured to the stairs. As they walked away, he glanced back.

​Terra was patting Luma on the head (splat-pat-splat). Valerius was asleep in the slime.

​"Good job, team," Reed whispered.

​He touched his chest. Elara was quiet. The cold was gone.

​Now he just has to make sure the fights goes as planned.

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