Khenal
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Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Four
🕑 Added 2025-04-29 01:12:11 +0000 UTCI have one last thing to do before I can let myself really dig into using and abusing gravity for some fun. Though I looked at the null elemental spawner, I never actually built it. It’s not going to make any spawns, but I do think I’ll need to actually build it to be able to modify it to spawn me some dinosaurs.
I look deep in and around the roots of the Tree of Cycles, and settle on a spot nice and away from basically everything, and set it down. It feels… weird to look at. The corrupted types feel wrong, like something whose existence is an affront to everything. This spawner feels like looking at a magic eye picture that actually exists in 3D, instead of being a trick of focus. Like I said: weird.
The available spawns and upgrades are completely blank, so it’s not doing anything, but I can feel a lot of potential just waiting for the right something to start making what I want. I try poking it with the idea of those little swarmy bitey bipedal dinos, but I think it needs more than just an idea, which poses an odd question: How do I make chickens without either chickens or eggs? It has me scratching my non-existent head, that’s for certain.
But with it now sitting in reality, not doing much, I can let it stew and get to work on using gravity for some fun! I have so many things I want to do, it’s hard to pick one to start with! Tempting as it is to just dive into the big one, that’s going to be a project all on its own. I should take baby steps to make sure I know what I’m doing.
First: the manor rooftop. It’s been basically a deadzone of delving because the angled roof makes it impossible to safely have encounters there. But now that I can adjust which way is down, that opens up the entire roof for some fun. I keep it pretty basic for now, setting a couple chests around and assigning a few widows to act as optional bosses to get to them. I still want the herbalists to be able to get to the belfry as a reward for beating the attic boss, but now the more normal delvers will have a reason to head up to the roof.
With how easily that one goes, I turn my focus to the Tree of Cycles and how my plants are working to keep delvers from falling off. There’s been enough time for the spatial plants to spawn in good numbers, and they’re doing a good job in effectively putting up safety railing everywhere. With the new gravity affinity, they’re having an easier time of it, easily setting the branch to be down, and using a bit of spatial magic to ensure even the most energetic of delvers can’t hurl themselves off and to their doom.
I pat Poppy through the bond, glad she’s getting the plants to keep the tree semi-OSHA compliant. There’s no actual railings, but between gravity and spatial adjustments, I’d argue there’s technically no dropoffs to need them. Even the hanging vines that allow delvers to climb up have a bit of gravity magic to make them simpler to use, even if each one leads to a miniature arena for some variety of boss fight to be able to play in the tree.
I think the tree and forest both still have a ways to go yet, but progress is going nice and steady, and the mana is really rolling in. The military is carefully sending in their scouts, and though they are getting captured more often than not, they’re improving rapidly. The rest of the army is still getting used to the encounters in the caverns, and they’re improving quickly, too. It’s pretty plain to see the theory behind their formations suddenly click for them in an actual battle. They still need to learn to adjust on the fly, but I’m confident they’ll be ready for the forest floor pretty soon.
With the tree and the army looking pretty set, I think I’m about out of distractions for a mini-project. It’s not going to be the massive undertaking the tree and forest were, but it’s still more than just making a couple fine adjustments. I want to renovate the lava labyrinth. With the ability to mess with down, I can put in some real Escher-esque architecture! I’ll leave the actual design to Coda, but I can still sketch out things in the library for him to go off of.
I really want to have a room of, if not actual stairways, a bunch of paths crossing in impossible ways. There’s a lot of potential for new puzzles and even denser pathways, too. I examine the walls and ceilings, noting which ones could even theoretically be removed to open the space up. Right now, each delver can only see what’s directly before them, the hallway or intersection they’re in. But if we can open it up, they’ll be able to see so much more and make the labyrinth really feel special.
I want it to feel like the delvers are in a big plate of spaghetti, walking along the noodles and seeing other paths they could have taken. It won’t be simple. In fact, it’ll probably qualify as a full project instead of a side one, but it’s complex enough that I think it’ll be a good idea to start planning sooner rather than later. Coda’s still putting the finishing touches on the new Sanctum, and he’ll probably be adding a few more now that gravity is more of a suggestion than actual rule.
Speaking of the Sanctum, Coda and the others have had the chance to test the quartz for strength, and it seems like it’ll be fine to cut thick hexagonal tiles. The crystal doesn’t seem to care too much about the facing for forces and such, so we can keep the hexagonal theme while also keeping a good structural strength. Thing and Queen are ramping up quartz production, both for tiles and for the speaker project we still need to get started, already taking advantage of their new labs under the new Sanctum. The rooms themselves are pretty rough, but they’re bigger and much better for this kind of production. We’re not digging out the floor just yet, and are instead stockpiling what we’ll need to install it. I think another week, maybe two, and we’ll be ready to start digging out the stone to replace with quartz.
I try not to think too hard about what’s actually being built, preferring to enjoy the process of building it. I’m still wrestling with the idea of having followers, let alone a cathedral. Thankfully, I feel familiar feet on my grass, and turn my attention to Freddie and Rhonda, with their spiders and a few friends in tow. I recognize Tula, of course, as well as her nervous energy. I don’t think she’s nervous about delving me anymore, so it’s not too difficult to guess why she’d be uncertain about something.
I remember she follows the goddess of magic, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted to ask about the new affinity that I kinda own. I don’t mind talking about it, just as soon as she asks. Her uncertainty is easily overshadowed by the newcomer to the group. He looks like a normal elf, uncomfortable in borrowed chainmail and holding a hammer awkwardly. I curiously give him the once over, wondering what his deal is, as Teemo pops out of a shortcut not far away.
“Rhonda! Freddie! Tula! It’s been a while! How’re you all doing? And who’s your friend?”
The first two smile at Teemo like the old friend he is, while Tula gives a more polite and formal greeting. The other one mutters something that I think was a hello, but it’s hard to say.
“We’ve been great, Teemo! Just busy. I’ve been practicing my kinetic and Freddie’s been working out, the both of us helping with the hold. I think the first floor is nearing completion, too.”
“Rough completion,” corrects Freddie. “They’re not ready for furnishing, or even for plumbing and ventilation, but the main digging is almost ready to move up or down. I dunno which way they want to go first.”
Teemo nods at that and looks to Tula. “You want to ask about gravity, I take it?”
She freezes for a moment before bashfully nodding. “I was going to delve some, too… but yes, please.”
My Voice nods again. “That’s fine, though a lot of it is going to sound crazy if you don’t have the affinity. How about you, new guy? You looking to delve, or are you wanting to get in on the ground floor of the latest affinity to sweep the realm?”
“Uh… I’m Tupul. Freddie and Rhonda thought… thought it’d be a good idea for me to get a couple more levels,” he stammers, and Teemo has mercy enough to look to the indicated duo for a better explanation.
“We just think it’d help him out,” responds Freddie, being vague about it. Probably something personal. I don’t see much point in prying, and neither does Teemo, so he shrugs and continues.
“Then don’t let me stop you. Things are changing in some of the more advanced areas, but for new delvers like Tula and Tupul, things around the manor should be pretty normal.”
“What’s gravity?” asks Rhonda, much more direct than Tula as they head for the porch and the hanging quests.
“It’s what makes down a thing,” responds Teemo, to the confusion of the others.
“How is that an affinity?” asks Freddie.
“Your shield isn’t going to go flying across the room unless you throw it, right? It takes you doing it. So why should it fly downward on its own? Being able to mess with down opens up a lot of interesting options.”
Rhonda and Tule both look intrigued, while Freddie hefts his shield, looking like he’s only just now questioning why it has to be hefted in the first place. Tupul looks like a mouse surrounded by cats, a bit too jumpy to be contemplating something crazy like gravity.
“Anyway, if you guys want to hear more, I’ll explain what I can later. I don’t want to go derailing your delving. Boss might cut my pay if I mess with his mana quota.”
I don’t think I pay you?
He smirks. “That’s why I can’t afford a cut, Boss.” He laughs as he heads through a shortcut to return to showing the plants how to maintain the shortcuts, while I decide to return to redesigning the labyrinth. I aggressively remove walls on paper, not paying any mind to structural stability just yet. I want to get a better idea of what is actually in use now, and what can be pruned to give the new look I want.
While I chase tunnels, I vaguely notice Poe call for Leo’s attention, but they don’t involve me yet, so I ignore it. If it’s important, they’d try to get me to look. I clear a few tunnels before I take a step back and do a bit of math, theorizing how much support would be needed if I could turn off gravity for the paths themselves, so they don’t have to actually support their own weight. It’ll cost me more mana, but the enhanced pathway density could be worth it.
I chew on the math as Poe and Leo call in Zorro as well, estimating how much force delvers actually output when they attack. The cool open twisting paths aren’t going to be so cool if some strong kinetic affinity delver comes along and breaks things. While I make estimates based on how hard Rocky can punch, I feel Teemo trying to get my attention. I jot down a few quick numbers and leave a questionmark, before turning my attention to my Voice… as well as my Marshal, Warden, and new Spymaster. I pat the bond with Zorro, proud of the title. The atmosphere is more serious than celebratory, though, so I soon stop to see what’s going on.
“There’s something weird about Tupul,” says Teemo, with the other three nodding. If I could, I’d quirk en eyebrow, but Teemo knows when I want him to continue even without me needing to say something. “Poe noticed it first. He’s… really weak for a hauler. And I don’t just mean his supposed level.”
Poe caws an explanation as Teemo translates. “A hauler should be able to handle the hammer with little problem, but he’s taking significant effort to swing it. A lack of skill with it would be understandable, but what kind of hauler can’t carry around a hammer and wear chainmail?”
Leo growls and wuffs his own observations, once more translated by Teemo. “I don’t think he has kinetic affinity, either, which is suspicious. A hauler can only get so physically strong, but should have kinetic affinity to let them do their job. Something isn’t adding up.”
Zorro speaks third, making adorable little yipping and yapping sounds, though the translation is enough to make me pay attention even with the display. “He smells faintly of the thieves guild. Second… maybe third-hand contact. It’s very faint, but it’s there.”
I frown to myself as I process that declaration. I knew they were being too quiet. If the guild's involved, what’s their play? If Tupul is as far removed as Zorro says he is, he’s probably just a pawn, but what’s the game? I turn my attention to the group, still delving inside the manor. If my scions hadn’t pointed it out, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, but they’re right. He moves like he wants to be nimble, but the weight of the hammer and mail are slowing him down. I’ve watched a few other haulers delve, and there is definitely something off about him.
Teemo… once they’re done, see if you can get the entire group to head to the lecture hall. Maybe offer snacks or something? I think we need to have a talk with Tupul.
Comments
Herakilla
Thanks for the chapter! Pul has been sniffed out! Figuratively and literally!
Steven Bartels
Note to Thediem, the twisty gravity tunnels and rooms sound awesome, but please keep enough of the surrounding rock to keep the magma dragons happy, maybe use special expansion to make the big rooms instead of digging out too much rock. Also, if you're looking for side projects don't forget the shortcuts the South Wood wanted. You could actually put up some paired arches, shorten the shortcuts until they meet like a portal, and then expand just slightly through the space claiming territory on the other side and have the spatial vines wrap around the archways to tie it all together. Then you can set up a portal network with your dungeon as the Nexus and people will have to go through a whole lot of encounters or something to pay for shortcutting days or weeks of travel. Oh and if you can provide passages past the Gofnar rivers that'd be a wonderful mess.
