Dungeon Life

Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety

If I were still limited to just the manor, I’d probably be concerned with how Olander is tearing through my encounters. But, having more than a bit of experience with delvers now, I’m smiling right along with the elf as he rampages through my denizens.

I’m pretty impressed with them, too. Yeah, they’re getting cut down in droves, but they’re taking advantage of all those shortcuts Teemo’s sprinkled around to really keep Olander on his toes. I think it’s a point of personal pride for him to not use any skills on them, which only makes him have to lean on his innate talent with his glaive all the more.

Hollywood wishes they could manage this kind of fight choreography. With my denizens able to pop in from basically any angle, Olander is constantly moving to intercept them all. He flows seamlessly from spear-like forms, stabbing and slashing at his full reach, before shifting his grip and spinning the weapon like a staff, striking with the blade and butt in equal measure. He’s even forced to add in the occasional sweeping kick as he dances through the manor.

I think he’s produced more mana for me in there than the place has generated in any single day so far. He actually looks a little disappointed when he finishes off the trio of electric direrats in the attic, before realizing he’s cleared this section and earned a nice chest to loot. He dumps it all into a bag of holding without looking too closely. I’d be annoyed if I thought there was anything in there he might actually be interested in.

He’s looking much more relaxed as he exits onto the roof, compared to when he first entered my territory, and it doesn’t take him long to spot Poe and Teemo over by the chimney. My Voice waves from beside the large corvid and speaks up as Olander gets near.

“Boss says it looks like you were having fun in there!”

Olander nods. “I was, actually! Most dungeons don’t bother sending low-level encounters at me after I clear a few, but the denizens were determined to give me a proper warm-up. Just how many shortcuts have you made?”

Teemo chuckles as Poe watches the two. “One or two, here and there. I was a Scout before the Voice, so I had plenty of time to make sure the denizens could get where they need, when they need.”

“Indeed.” He takes a few moments to simply look around the roof before speaking up again. “So the roof is a bit of a cooldown area, then?”

Poe nods as Teemo explains. “Yeah. Fighting up here is a bit tricky. We wouldn’t want delvers falling off and breaking their necks or something. Besides, the only thing of interest up here besides Poe is the belfry garden.”

“Does he get challenged often?” inquires the elf, turning his attention on my Marshal.

“Not really. He can fight, but he prefers to direct the expeditions and keep the local map accurate.”

“I heard he has a pair of titles that make him quite the challenge?”

Teemo snorts and nods. “Marshal of Murders and Lord of Unkindnesses. He wiped the floor with a trio of delvers who were being annoyances. Boss even imprisoned them and created the gauntlets to wring a bit more mana out of them as they worked to earn their freedom.”

“Oh? How strong were they?”

Teemo shrugs. “Before you, they were easily the strongest delvers we’ve had. Vnarl, Mlynda, and Hark. They were getting more than a little cocky, so the Boss knocked them down a couple pegs. But the punitive gauntlet gave them the attitude adjustment they needed, and they’re regulars around here now.”

“Hmm. So easily forgiven?”

Poe caws in mirth as Teemo grins. “Easily? You should go ask them if getting free was easy, heh. Boss is willing to let bygones be bygones if people show improvement.”

Olander looks thoughtful about that for a few moments before refocusing on Poe. “Do you have death affinity? Every other raven scion I’ve seen has it, but you are a lot subtler with it than them.”

Poe shakes his head and caws, which Teemo translates. “No. He doesn’t have much interest in it, honestly. He prefers to observe the delvers and manage the expeditions. Between him and Leo, there’s not a lot going on that the Boss doesn’t know about.”

“So a friendly battle would be out of the question?” he presses, which Poe nods to.

“Yeah, he says no thanks. If you tear through the crows and ravens like the manor denizens, he won’t have anyone left to send out.”

Olander looks disappointed in that, but doesn’t press further. “Then who is the next scion I should meet?”

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Teemo points off the roof to the large tangle of greenery and webbing that is the hedge maze. “Tiny, definitely. Do you want to meet him properly, or run the maze?”

Olander rubs his chin in thought as his eyes follow Teemo’s finger. “What would be the difference?”

“If you run the maze, you search for chests and try to avoid Tiny as he stalks you, and avoid the thieving direrats. If Tiny catches you, he’ll web you up, lighten your load, and dump you outside the maze. I dunno if he could get the better of you, though.”

Olanger hums in reply, still thinking. “And if I just want to meet him?”

“I’ll let him know and guide you to his lair. He doesn't get many visitors, honestly. Mostly Vernew or sometimes Rhonda, Freddie, and Larrez.”

It takes Olander a few more seconds of thought before he nods to himself. “I think I’d like to simply meet him, if I can. I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to just talk to a spider scion before.”

“Then I’ll go let him know and pause the runners. Shouldn’t take me long. You can have some more fun in the manor or wander the grounds if you want? I dunno if you do much herbalism.” At Olander’s head shake, Teemo nods. “I’ll meet you at the maze entrance then!” With that, he vanishes through a shortcut as Olander gives Poe a measuring look.

“Vnarl and party, hmm? I should try to talk to them later. You’re sure you don’t want a scrap?”

Poe briefly embraces his titles and caws, the sound echoing unnaturally as every crow and raven on the roof stops what they’re doing to stare at the elf. Rather than looking cowed, he looks excited, but he pushes it aside and holds his hands up.

“I’m not going to force it, don’t worry. I’m sure you’re a formidable fight, but I wouldn’t want to strain relations with your dungeon. It might make Berdol’s inspection more than a little awkward. Still, let me know if you change your mind? Commander titles are rare and powerful. I’d love to see them in action.”

Poe seems a bit uncertain what to make of Olander as the elf hops off the roof and lands with no more impact than if it was a simple step down. That elf has some serious kinetic affinity. Rocky’s gonna have quite a fight on his hands.

I watch Olander wander to the maze, the yard denizens mostly ignoring him. They’ve proved their point with the swarm ambush tactics. In fact… I wonder if I could do something like that as another attraction. I likened his fighting to dancing, but what if it was actually put to music? I bet Slash could do something cool with that if he works and practices with the denizens.

I doodle in my library a couple notes and potential routes through my different sections, imagining delvers basically doing a rhythm game through my territory. Yeah, I definitely need to run this by Slash and see if he’s interested.

For now, though, I turn my attention back to Teemo and Olander as they go through the maze. It looks like they didn’t need to wait too long for the runners to finish, so now they’re taking the short route through to Tiny’s lair.

Even the experienced Olander pauses when he sees Tiny relaxing just outside his personal silken home. No matter how tough and fearless you are, a spider approaching the size of a bus is going to tickle a couple instincts. Olander loosens slightly as Teemo calls to my largest scion.

“Tiny, I brought a guest! Don’t eat this one, yeah?”

Tiny chitters more quietly than his size would indicate, fixing Teemo with enough eyes for at least two full sets of glares.

“Aw, you’re no fun. I’ll ask him, though.”

Olander is still looking wary as Teemo addresses him. “So, I’m sure you know the Boss is fate affinity. Tiny here is the one of us who’s most been delving into that. The spiderkin even call him the Reader of the Web, and he has a title for it, too. He wants to know if you’d let him read you.”

The elf looks taken aback at that, even as Tiny settles in. I think the elf was expecting a tricky scion full of malice and deception, instead of a big fuzzy friendly fortune teller. “What would he be looking for?”

Teemo shrugs. “I dunno. The only fate stuff I’ve messed with is playing around with chance. Fluffles has a good grip on the affinity as a whole, but Tiny here is the undisputed master of actually looking into what could be. I don’t think he’ll look too far or deep, though. He says looking too hard tends to change things, though if there’s anything in specific you’d like him to check on, I don’t think he’d mind.”

Olander looks equally cautious and curious, clearly wanting to hear what Tiny might see, but also uncertain he wants to let the big spider poke into whatever secrets he might have. It looks to me like curiosity is winning out in his head as his look shifts to one of figuring out a puzzle. After over a minute, he finally speaks.

“Will I find what I seek?”

Teemo smiles like he just landed a big sucker, but Tiny looks much more serene as he reaches two of his legs forward. A gentle orange glow emanates from them as he waves them slowly around Olander, seeming to draw thin orange gossamer into reality for him to examine. The gargantuan spider works in silence, with Olander staying still to not interrupt, and Teemo sent into silent appreciation of watching a master at work.

Just as it seems like the threads are starting to make some kind of odd sense, TIny waves a leg and wipes them back from whence they came, and he chitters with an amused glint to his many eyes.

“He says you seek a lot, some for yourself, some on the behalf of others. The things you think are important are easy to find, if you know where to look. It’s the things you’ve given up on and forgotten that are truly important. Pay attention, and you might find a few of them, too.”

Olander listens quietly, though he’s frowning by the end. Teemo gives him a couple seconds to process it before he smirks and continues. “They never give a definitive answer, eh?”

Olander snorts as Tiny mocks looking offended. “He gave a better show of it than others, at least. Why don’t they ever speak it plain?”

Teemo shrugs. “Fate stuff, I dunno how else to explain it. Boss and Tiny both say looking too close can change it, just by looking. Anyway, you want to go see the next scion? I could probably get Coda to meet us at the maze entrance.”

Olander nods absently as he muses over what Tiny had to say. I dunno how good of a read he got on Olander, but I think it’s good advice, no matter who you are.