The golden portal swirled shut for the final time, plunging my lobby back into its familiar, blessed silence. The roar of more than fifty thousand screaming fans was gone, replaced by the gentle trickle of the enchanted fountain and the soft hum of my own core.

​My team stood in the center of the room, blinking in the dim light, looking as though they had just returned from a very strange and very loud war.

​For a long moment, no one spoke.

But, a slow, proud smile spread across Gilda's face. Pip let out a whoop of his own, and Clank waved his banner.

​And then, with a brilliant shimmer of pink light, FaeLina suddenly appeared in the middle of them all.

​She was so caught up in the victory that she had completely forgotten to stay invisible.

​"WE DID IT!" she shrieked, doing a series of ecstatic, sparkling loop-the-loops in the air.

"WE WON! We won two out of three events! We beat the Blood Pit! The King loves us! We are the undisputed, undefeated champions of being weirdly effective!"

​The entire team just stared at her, their own celebrations forgotten, their mouths hanging open. Gilda instinctively tightened her grip on her axe. Pip yelped and hid behind Clank. Zazu just blinked slowly, a look of mild surprise on his face.

​FaeLina finally noticed the stunned silence. She stopped her victory dance mid-air and saw all of them staring at her. Her face went from triumphant joy to pure, horrified embarrassment in a fraction of a second.

​With another, much more panicked shimmer, she vanished from sight.

​A moment of awkward silence passed.

​"...Did the Core just summon a tiny, very loud cheerleader?" Pip whispered.

'That was FaeLina,' I projected to the group, deciding it was probably time for a formal introduction. 'My Dungeon Fairy and... operations manager. She is usually invisible. But, She gets... excited.'

Gilda finally relaxed her grip on her axe, a look of dawning understanding on her face. "So that's the 'little one' you're always talking to."

Suddenly a cascade of triumphant, golden notifications filled my consciousness, it's the official spoils of our victory.

[Opening Ceremony of the 114th Royal Dungeon League Tournament: COMPLETE!]

[Final Placement: First Place (Overall Score)]

[Rewards Awarded:]

[+5000 Dungeon Points]

[+1000 Gold Coins]

[Item Gained: 'The King's Favor' (A powerful social and political buff)]

[Item Gained: 'Royal Seal of Approval' (Allows for the creation of one DLRB-exempt 'Signature Room')

[NOTICE: The Main Tournament will begin in three days. A full schedule of the qualifying rounds will be delivered to all competitors shortly.]

FaeLina, now safely invisible again, saw the rewards in the notification and her embarrassment was instantly replaced by joy.

'Five thousand DP, Mochi! And a thousand gold! We're rich! We're dungeon-rich! We can finally afford to build a second slime waiter! And a third! We can have a whole slime army of waiters!'

While she was planning her slime-based hospitality empire, I opened the path to the third floor.

'The Chamber of Slumber is open,' I projected to my exhausted team. 'You have all earned a good rest.'

'Wait, Mochi,' FaeLina's thought was a buzzed in full of confusion. 'That room only has one bed. They can't all fit.'

​'I'll take care of it,' I replied simply.

​As the team walked down the spiral staircase and into the Chamber of Slumber, the room seemed to sense their presence. The single, perfect dream essence bed gently widened, becoming large enough for everyone to share.

From the floor, soft, plushy cushions made of the same dream-fabric rose up, creating comfortable spots for those who preferred their own space. The air grew warmer, and the enchanted lullaby became even softer.

​They didn't need to be told twice. Soon, the entire team, from Gilda to Sir Crumplebuns, was fast asleep, each in their own perfect spot in the now-expanded sanctuary. Their snores were like a gentle happy chorus.

As I watched them rest, the Guild Bulletin Board suddenly chimed. It wasn't a quest. It was a flood of [Direct Messages].

The first message was from Guildmaster Peppin: "Well done, Core. You have made the Iron Gryphons proud. And you have made our rivals look like fools. Excellent work."

​The second was from Sir Reginald of the Silver Griffins:"A truly innovative performance! My guild and I watched the entire broadcast! Your use of non-lethal, psychological tactics was a masterclass! Bravo!"

​The third was from Duke Valerius: "A magnificent victory! The King is already calling you his 'favorite little rock'. You have powerful friends now, Core. Do not hesitate to use them."

​But the fourth message was not so friendly. It was a public post, appearing on every bulletin board in the kingdom, written in angry, jagged script.

It was from Lord Vorlag of the Blood Pit : "To the pathetic excuse for a dungeon known as 'The Comfy Corner'. You have made a mockery of this sacred tournament with your tricks and your technicalities. This is not over. The main tournament begins in three days. Enjoy your brief, pathetic victory. It will be your last."

​The message was clear. it was a public declaration of war.

FaeLina, who had been happily counting our new gold coins, saw the message and her cheerful mood instantly vanished.

'Oh no,' she whispered in my mind. 'He's furious. And he's right. The opening ceremony was just a showcase. The main tournament is where the real, dangerous dungeons compete. The ones who didn't get a special invitation.'

She was right. We had won the opening act.

But the real show, with dozens of other, much more dangerous competitors, was about to begin.

______

Author Note:

FaeLina finally introduces herself to the team... by accident! I love that she got so excited, that she forgot to be invisible. Pip's "tiny, very loud cheerleader" line is my favorite.

And look at those rewards! A 'Royal Seal of Approval' for a rule-free room sounds like it's going to lead to some very fun and chaotic creations from Mochi.

But the celebration is over. Lord Vorlag has officially declared war, and the main tournament is about to begin. The stakes just got a whole lot higher. Thanks for reading!

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