Question the ancient smithy.

Havaea Luadar. You can't believe you're speaking with somebody from centuries ago. You've met multiple demigods at this point, though there's something different about it being a mortal elf. You could ask many questions, though the truth is that this is but a single individual, and as said, not a god. She is unlikely to know much beyond where she lived as well as her craft, so you ponder what would be more pressing to discuss while the others flock around her.

"What were the stel'ae like?" asks Eva. "You're an elf who lived with them, right? Learned from them? So that means not everybody distrusted them. They weren't universally hated. Please tell me that's true, Ms. Luadar."

"I admit this is a little bit overwhelming for me," Havaea answers. "Allow me to process. I see you are concerned about the fate of the stel'ae, and I will not speak of the dark days that came, but no. They were not hated by all. I am not entirely certain how the distrust began, or how it spread, because they were not out to destroy all magic or anything as absurd as that. They created. Sorry, but I know little else. I will tell you, however, that the stel'ae were amazing, Ms. Beela. Gorgeous and talented. I wish you could taste the food they would make. I think as eaters of magic, they became exceptional at eating in general."

Niki laughs. "That's our Eva then," she says with an arm around the bunnyfolk's shoulder. "You love gulping things down, huh?"

Eva flushes red. "Wh-What are you saying?"

"Huh? That you adore eating food as much as I do."

"... Oh. Y-Yeah. That's true." She looks back to Havaea. "Did you know my mother? I mean, she was one of the survivors, so I don't know how old she was. Dad says her name was Daya'lin. I don't know what her surname was though."

"Hmm... I am afraid that name does not sound familiar to me. I apologize. And stel'ae did not have surnames. Only titles on occasion."

"Oh I see. Well, I just thought I'd ask. It's all right."

You pinch your magic ring between your fingers and look it over. So Tol'vuus was made by an elf trained by stel'ae. I suppose that explains its power.

"May I ask for a favour?" asks Havaea.

"Of course you can. You helped us quite a bit already," you reply. "If anything, I'd like a way to thank you."

"I am flattered, but there is only one thing I would like. To finally leave this place."

"What?" Eva exclaims. "But aren't you part of what's guarding this place? And you've been here for so long already. What makes you want to leave now?"

"Really, I only awaken from sleep mode when things need cleaned up after an especially messy invasion attempt, which is exceedingly rare. Unfortunately, I do not have the supplies to fully repair the two guardians slain today. Also, I have been processing many thoughts since first realizing one with the blood of a stel'ae has returned. There is not much of a reason to continue protecting this place, other than for all that is within this vault."

"What is in this vault?"

"A lotta coin," Niki says as she allows gold and silver to fall from her hand back into the chest she has open. "Copper. Silver. Gold. Jewels. Tiny statuettes. Rings. Necklaces."

"Culturally significant art," Masumi speaks up quietly from behind as she looks over one of the far walls. "Not just carvings, but paintings, writings, and more."

"So a little piece of their civilization, frozen in time," Eva says. "You trust us with that?"

"I trust you," she says.

"That's a lot of pressure. I don't know--"

You lay a hand upon her shoulder. Then tenderly, you run it down to her side, so that you may pull her in close. You then speak softly. "It's all right, Eva. We'll take precious care of all we take here. And I wouldn't trust anybody else with what we've found."

She nuzzles her face into your chest. "... Thank you," she whispers.

"Oh. Also, various enchanted weapons and similar loot," Havaea adds.

Niki throws her arms into the air. "YES!" Then she looks back down at the public display of her bare pussy with all eyes now upon her. She swings her shield down and purses her lips. "I mean, yay. That's cool. Any loot that I can wear, preferably in the shape of shorts?"

"We may go over all that is here. For now, we must figure out how to move it efficiently."

You can almost feel a sense of dread coming from your Bag of Holding as you bring it up. "I've got that covered. Let's start shovelling it all inside, and then we can go over it back home. We're in a mission right now."

"Oh? What sort of mission?"

"A lot came up, so we got a little distracted, but there's a reason we came down into this place. See, three keys meant to seal Vorlek the Warlord were collected. He was unleashed, but just to be a meal for Xavex the Evolving. One key was supposedly taken from here, and we're trying to reverse engineer these robberies back to the source."

"Xavex... Allow me to process that name, but as for the stolen key, yes. I think I know what happened. This vault is not the only place containing treasures. Not long ago, thieves mage their way inside, but they did not come to the labyrinth. They nearly perished when the structural integrity of one of the hallways was compromised, and while I assume they stole everything they found, something amongst those items was they key you mentioned."

"You said you wanted to leave this place? I'll definitely grant you that favour. But we can't give up our mission. If you follow us, you'll be getting into some dangerous stuff. We need to find who broke into this place."

"And I would like to know as well. So, allow me to introduce myself if we are to become closer."

"You already did."

But it seems she meant something else. The saucer floats back and moves to about half a foot above where one's head might be. Then suddenly, there's a flicker of light beneath it. A strange, magical grid scans down from the underside of the machine to the floor. Slowly at first, a shape draws itself into place, but then it flashes quickly the rest of the way. Now, a body stands. It's translucent, and still pale blue, though it's unmistakably an elven woman.

Her hair is long, though its true colour is impossible to know. It reaches halfway down her back before splaying out into curled tips. All in all, it's somewhat messy, with a few hairs sticking straight up from the center of her head. As for her body, it's as slender as any elf's--modest curves, with the most famous feature being their legs. It's a toned physique, like Nyllia or Niki.

In addition, there's a small jewel pierced into her belly button. Your eyes follow up her stomach to two more piercings--rings, each hanging from one of her nipples. She's entirely nude. Everything is on display, down to her pussy below, though she stands with confidence. Both of the metallic hands line up perfectly with her own, overlaying with her holographic form, and they rest upon her spectral hips.

"Havaea Luadar," she says. "A pleasure to meet you, eye-to-eye, at least as much as I--What? Ah. I doubt anybody here has seen something like this before. I do not mind the staring."

"Is being naked a requirement?" you ask.

"Pardon me?" She then looks down at herself. More specifically, the hologram's eyes dip, though it's the saucer above she uses to see. When it tilts its lens down to inspect herself, she gasps. Quickly, she wraps her arms around herself in a desperate, far too late attempt to conceal her naked body.

It's an exceptionally realistic display. When she touches herself, her body reacts. Her breasts squeeze together. Her thighs jiggle. Even on her face, despite there being no colour beyond blue, you can see her blush. It reminds you of Mela in a way, though you can tell she isn't a ghost.

Suddenly, the hologram flickers. Clearly, it's trying to load something up. For just a split second, you can see another outfit appear. Then another. There's a swimsuit, something with a skirt, and another swimsuit. Then finally, after a flash, Havaea's body is clothed how she intended.

"The technology is very experimental," she admits.

She wears a long, thick dress, though with shoulder straps like belts, or perhaps like a pair of overalls. One strap is undone, seemingly on purpose, to show the crop top she wears beneath. Very clearly, you can see the aforementioned nipple piercings pressed up against the inside of the fabric. Around the waist, there's a number of tools and pouches, and she wears both leather gloves and boots. There's also a headband ground her forehead to keep bangs from her eyes.

"Should I pretend I didn't see anything?" you ask.

"Would you?"

"I can't promise I won't think about it, but I'll try not to bring it up. Anyway, it's great to meet you. The problem, I guess, is going to be figuring out how to track these thieves."

Niki raises her hand--not the one being used to conceal her partial nudity. "I have a question, and it isn't directly about shorts this time, though I would very much like that one to be addressed too. Do you have a slime girl infestation here?"

"Not at all! Slime girls were great friends with the stel'ae. There is a reason they have not consumed the many sources of magic in these halls. Yes, when slimes absorb enough magic, they evolve, but after that they are intelligent enough as to not carelessly devour everything, and every type of slime eats something different. The ones you encountered would never cause damage to this place."

"That's awesome, but can you maybe tell them not to eat people's clothes?"

"Well, at that point, you were still intruders..."

"I want a better answer than that, or I'll get Eva to eat you."

"Please do not do that."

"I wouldn't!" Eva shouts. "Niki, I'm not an attack dog. Or an attack slime."

Masumi smiles in the back. "I am very glad that I was able to come with you on this quest, Kyle."