Khenal
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Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-One
🕑 Added 2024-07-09 03:19:26 +0000 UTCThe feeling of Teemo’s concern pulls me out of my exploration of my menus, and once I realize what has him feeling like that, I understand.
A new dungeon?
“Welcome to the fun, Boss. Yeah.”
You, Yvonne, and Tarl had a kid? I didn’t even know Yvonne was pregnant!
Teemo does his best to give me a flat look. “That’s not how it works, and you know it, Boss.”
Yeah, I know. But it’s fun to joke. You know just how many more I have ready to go, but we should probably figure out what to do before I make more gags at your expense.
Tarl and Yvonne eye Teemo, with Berdol scribbling whatever notes he can come up with. Yvonne speaks up before my favorite dungeon inspector can. “Thediem has noticed, then?”
“Yeah, and he’s mostly done making jokes about the situation now. So… what do we do?”
“Can he just take it as another protege?” asks Berdol, and I’m pretty doubtful. It seemed like the system was pretty adamant about me only having one at a time. Still, the fast tracking might have given me room for another?
Release Protege? Y/N?
Nope.
“Looks like he’s still stuck with just one, and he’s not ready to turn Violet loose yet.”
Tarl nods at that. “I’ve only ever heard of dungeons having one at a time, but you never know with Thedeim.” He taps his foot as he eyes the holes in the wall and floor, the little denizens swarming to keep any invaders at bay. “I’ll probably need to stay here and keep an eye on it, and write a report of my own for Telar, too. The theory of dungeons forming from an interaction between mana states has been long accepted, but I don’t know if anyone else has ever actually witnessed it! The way it went was different from the theory, but I don’t know if that’s how they always go, or if that’s just how this one in specific went.”
Tarl starts muttering to his stone about mana flows and whatnot, giving the others a chance to add their opinion, which Yvonne leaps on. “So… what do we do about it? Should you just subsume it, then?”
Teemo shakes his head and relays my reply. “That’s being a bit hasty, especially if Tarl is going to be here to try to help guide it. The Boss also has an idea to help it along, too. I just need to go find the Stag. The Boss can’t take another protege, but the Southwood doesn’t have one. He can ask the Boss for any advice if he wants it, too.”
“Do you know where the Stag is?” asks my birdwoman Resident, and Teemo shakes his head.
“Not right this moment, but I doubt he’ll be difficult to track down. It’s not like there’s two elk stags with crystalline antlers wandering around here. Anyone want to come help me look for him?”
Tarl speaks up from his stone. “Actually, if Yvonne doesn’t mind, I’d like her help with a few small pieces of training for the nascent dungeon. It will be helpful for it to learn to recognize a delving party and understand a proper delve can give it a lot of mana, even with the loss of a few denizens.”
Yvonne smiles. “I was hoping to just stay and observe, but I’d be happy to help the hatchling along.”
Teemo nods and prepares a shortcut. “Then you two have fun being its parents. I’m gonna go find it an uncle to care for it more directly.” The looks on their faces has both of us laughing as Teemo head back to Silvervein proper, and our mood doesn’t fade as he asks around for the Stag.
He’s not hard to track down, as suspected, and Teemo finds him in the underground equivalent of a park, relaxing atop some long moss, with pale dwarven and elven children milling around him. Getting closer, Teemo and I can hear the peaceful chiming of his antlers as the children play, running around and generally being kids. A few are leaning against him, doodling in the moss or looking like they’re going to take a short nap.
“You never said you were good with kids, Stag!” accuses Teemo with a smile as he nears, drawing the attention of the more sedate children. The other scion chuckles and shakes his head, more contented chimes coming from his antlers.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever interacted with them before. It’s easier to understand how protective parents can be, now. They’re so innocent, so curious, even with how harsh things down here seemed to be.”
“Did their parents dump them on you?”
The Stag shakes his head once more. “No, at least not specifically. I found this place and decided to relax, only to discover that the various parents of these children told them to go out and play, and this is their preferred spot. They gathered around and asked questions, before deciding to play their games instead. The most curious ones are napping, else I would expect they’d have questions for you, too.”
Teemo smirks at that. “I bet. So, have you learned what the Southwood wanted you to, about Silvervein?”
“Yes, or at least enough to understand he won’t need to dramatically change anything within his territory to accommodate their needs. Some metal or stone nodes would not go amiss, but he expects they will be very interested in harvesting food from him.”
Teemo nods at that as a dwarven lad with a stubbly beard flops himself over the Stag’s back, and asks a question. “Why’re you so small?”
My Voice smirks. “Because I’m a rat!”
“But you talk! That means you’re a Voice like the Stag, right? He said he’s so big because he’s a Voice!”
Teemo chuckles at that. “I’m Thedeim’s Voice. I’m so small because he doesn’t do a lot of things most people say he should.”
The child looks hopeful as he responds. “Does that mean he doesn’t eat his veggies?”
I laugh as Teemo gives my reply. “He does! But he also likes them.”
The dwarven child sticks out his tongue in disgust. “That’s not how that’s supposed to work!”
“Exactly!” Confusion plays across the child’s face before he shrugs and slides off the Stag to rejoin in whatever game of chase or tag they’re all up to, letting Teemo return his attention to the other scion. “So… do you want one?”
The Stag gives me Voice a look of concern and confusion. “I believe the city at large would object to that.”
Teemo waves it off like it’s not a big deal. “I don’t mean one of these kids. I don’t know if you could feel it from here, but a new dungeon just appeared in the Maw’s old territory. The Boss can’t take a second protege… so does the Southwood want one?”
The Stag stares at him for several long seconds, before his ears twitch. He blinks at what he hears, before realizing he should say something. “Uh… my Lord is interested, but wishes to know more.”
“Then you should probably come take a look.”
The Stag nods and gently prods the dozing kids with his antlers to wake them up, and a few already don’t want him to go, even after only knowing him for maybe an hour. Still, he needs to go, and the awoken kids organize their own game as he slips through a shortcut with Teemo.
“Is there anything my Lord should know about this nascent dungeon?”
Teemo shrugs from atop the Stag’s head. “Probably, but we don’t know too much about it. The little guy seems pretty healthy so far, but the circumstances of its birth are a bit concerning.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Maw had somehow broken a spawner so that it made or maybe worked with stagnant mana. Yvonne said it made a stagnation snarl, something usually only found deep in stagnant mana areas, but she knew how to take apart since that’s basically what Rangers do. Anyhow, she unraveled it, and the combination of that stagnant mana, the turbulence from her, Tarl and Berdol, and possibly even a bit of lamellar from me reacted and condensed a little chip of a dungeon core made of jet. We fought off the initial invaders while the little thing took refuge in a hole in the floor, and now I think it’s just trying to get its bearings.”
The Stag hums at that as he thinks, his ear flicking occasionally as the Southwood voices his opinion. “That there was stagnant mana is concerning, but if the nascent dungeon is shaping the flows properly, my Lord doesn’t see any reason to be concerned. What spawners does it have?”
“Worms and constructs, and it’s shadow affinity.”
The Stag nods as they near the exit, and soon he gets to lay eyes on the young dungeon himself. Tarl, Yvonne, and Berdol are carefully picking off a few denizens, and I watch as several of the defenders sally forth from the numbers milling around the holes, clearly engaging them deliberately. The delvers don’t even use any skills to deal with the attack, before moving back from the holes to let the dungeon consider what it should do.
Tarl waves at the two scions as the groups meet. “So, what do you think, Stag?”
The Stag looks around with a measuring eye, before nodding. “The flows are poor, but already improving. Teemo told me of what you all found, and my Lord believes the new dungeon is performing normally, without any untoward strangeness.”
The inspector nods at that. “That’s what I think, too. I’m glad to have a second opinion. Are you going to make it a protege?”
The Stag looks a bit uncertain, but still nods. “My Lord wishes to offer it the opportunity, yes.”
“Don’t let us stop you, then,” replies Yvonne, stepping to the side to give the Stag an easier path. He nods at the group as he passes by, and Teemo hops off his head so he can greet the new little dungeon as he sees fit.
When he enters the territory, the denizens all go still, even as the Stag lays down just barely inside its area of control. “Hello, little one. I represent the Southwood, a powerful dungeon far from here… or not so far from here, thanks to the shortcuts.”
A slightly larger worm exits a hole and crawls out where it can easily be seen, though it doesn’t make the long trek to where the Stag is. The Southwood’s scion tilts his head as he listens. “Where are the protectors? They are safe. They are… my friends. They asked me to help protect you, too.”
The worm wiggles more and the Stag shakes his head. “They cannot always be here, and they don’t have the ability to properly guide you. But my Lord can, if you will allow him. He would like to take you as his protege, to guide and nurture you until you can protect not only yourself, but possibly even others, as well.”
The worm slowly undulates before I feel the dungeon accept the offer. While I don’t get any notice or anything like that, I can feel the cautious little presence be added to my allies, just like how Violet counts at one because of being my protege.
The Stag smiles and stands, giving the worm a formal bow. “Thank you. For now, simply grow, young one, and be vigilant for any nodes you can spawn. You will probably get stone, gems, or metals. They will draw new invaders, so be prepared to repel them, but the delvers will also be drawn to them, and so generate mana for you.”
The worm wiggles back to the hole as the Stag steps back, a peaceful smile on his face. I wonder if the Southwood was also a bit lonely, way out here? If he was, I don’t think he is any more.
Comments
Raufgar
Probably not, but Thediem is now a god, so he can send Decrees and Revelations to his followers directly.
Durphymcbob
Do you think, she would call Thedium Papa, if she is aught what a parent is. Because definitely (at least subconsciously) considers violet his daughter, I mean he even made her a "college fund"
Robinn57
Yes we need more ninja worms in this world lol
Durphymcbob
The Southwood really liking the the kids, gives me the image of a lonely grandpa who lives alone in his cabin in the middle of no where being over joyed at watching his grandchildren coming over to visit and watching them play from his porch in a rocking chair smiling.
Durphymcbob
Well it seems that Southwood won't need metal or rock nodes, With this little dungeon around the newbie should be able to handle it. :)
jeffh4
Great solution to the single Protege problem. One correction: The Stag gives me Voice Should be The Stag gives my Voice
Raufgar
With how its dwellers are breaking new ground, under the sea, I'm sure he will find one soon. Also, Hullbreak is just 1 dock out of 4. Plenty of space left.
Ibram Gaunt
I got a question. Can dungeons get a second voice? And why? Thediem would probably greatly benefit of having teemo as a more mobile voice but could also get great use of a more stationary one.
Ben Bass
TYFTC! I love ow the Stag and Southwood seem to be softies! I am so pleased that Southwood took on the new one as a protégée, this is the best way to build a solid alliance. I have a feeling they will need all of the friends and allies in the coming days.
Erik Hansen
It would be pretty funny if having to be saved from starving by Thedeim ends up getting counted for "requires divine intervention."
Blue Trooper
I wish to see the Orks! Hopefully no issues or may e a special treaty?
Blue Trooper
Yeeeesssss that would be wonderful!
Ethan Barrow
Happy adoption day Southwood!! TFTC
Lord-Siver
gramps southwood will be a good guide and mentor for the new fletchling :D
Sonata Fauns
I’m so happy Thedium and me had the same joke in our heads.
Vik M.
That was so wonderfully cute. The way it instantly trusted Tarl and Yvonne, the kind and gentle way the Stag approached it and the other children... I hope we hear more about it in the future :)
Gregs_Crow
not gonna lie, a shadow affinity dungeon sounds very cool
Markell
Yess! It’s so cute that Southwood gets to be a parent-guardian. Now more than anything in the world I want to see Violets perspective through the alliance bonds and her getting to act like the big sister.
JHD
Thanks for the chapter, why does the tiny dungeon feel cute and it being "adopted" feel so good!
Demonlord
Thanks for the nice chapter 😊 A new fledgling dungeon was the last thing I expected but it's a good thing for the southwood and the alliance
Cha0sniper
Aww, we got another little baby dungeon! :D
druidofthewolf
So we have the god of change and fate being our DM,we have the god of nature and light being the southwoods ,the god of the sea will probably be hull break. Then we have violet decay being one of her aspects and now we have jet having the aspect of shadow (not sure if his or her name will be jet but it was the color teemo said he or she was and that how violet got her name so it might be we will have to wait and see what the name of the new dungeon is ) ... though I think hull break will become a god before southwoods since he has most of the requirements down that we know of.
Pete Magnuson
The alliance web, how DM can even feel a dungeon 2 steps removed, is reminding me more and more of the coexisting Sanctuaries from kobold lore. Were they all linked into a grand web of alliance and treaties?
Vorquel
Just like the good old days with Violet
SpaceGoddess76
It almost seems like Thedium is building both an Empire of Dungeons and a Pantheon of Dungeons. I’m looking forward to how this progresses. It’d would be fun to see Violet and the new Dungeon interact. Would also be cool for Hullbreak to gain a Protege, it might even help it emotionally recover.
Herakilla
Thanks for the chapter! This was great and wholesome!
Monday
Like it or not i believe Thedium is developing his own pantheon, though the other dungeons aren’t quite at the stage of Deity. I wonder if there’s any parallels that Lord Khenal has made with this group. So far we have the god of change, an ancient dungeon that portrays Nature, a younger dungeon that portrays life at sea, and two fledgling Dungeons that have yet to grow into their purposes. Hmmmmm, I look forward to further development!
David Rusk
I’m just thinking that someone from the kingdom or from the mayor’s family is gonna get greedy and cause… problems.
13L00D13ANE
The alliance grows! Love the spread of affinities/types. I have a feeling in 6 months to a year, the area of Fourdock is going to be veeerrrry popular. Especially with the shortcuts to/through the Southwood. [Btw, would that cause any political issues, with the orks not allowed to cross the Gofnar?]
Eriach
Aww
m1872
Thanks for the chapter!
blaze87b
And the Southwood gets a protoge. Thediem is building an empire of dungeons, rivaling those of the mortal realm, though I don't think he's fully realized it yet
Gustave Dorland
Thanks for the chapter!
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Preswolfwood
Poor Southwood, been all alone with no one but the Stag and the occasional ODA offical to talk to. Raising a kid dungeon will be great for them especally with the support system of the alliance, nice little dungeon family shaping up.
Speedsaber
Southwood: achievement get, "Midget acquired". I hope raising it will teach both parties involved something new, parenting definitely does....
Colleen Whelan
Cute Chapter
