Chapter Three-Hundred Four

Rhonda looks at Tula and Larrez with curious eyes, wondering why they look so shocked.  Freddie rescues them from saying it themselves, even if they probably only reinforces reality for them.  It kinda does for me, too.  It’s still weird to think about.

“Thedeim’s a god.”

Rhonda tilts her head in confusion.  “Hasn’t he been for a while?  Aranya and the enclaves have been worshiping him.”

The orc chuckles and shakes his head.  “Being worshiped doesn’t make someone a god, even if someone’s faith is strong enough to focus their magic through them.”

Larrez’s mind finally seems to grind into gear, though he’s still clearly trying to process things.  “I asked Torlon about that a while ago.  I just… never expected to see the difference become moot.”

That gets Freddie’s curiosity.  “Oh?  What were you two talking about?"

“It was not long after I first met Aranya.  Teemo said Thedeim didn’t worry too much about it and said he was pretty sure he wasn’t a god.  I asked Torlon, and he explained the difference between gods and focuses of faith.  For people like us, the difference seems a bit… academic.”

That seems to help get Tula on track, too.  “There’s… a lot of arguments about it, but… that seems right.  Actual deities have more power and can thusly empower their worshipers directly, but even that is usually reserved for people like Prophets or High Priests.  But for him to be an actual deity…”

Tula and Larrez look haunted, while Rhonda and Freddie seem pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.  Teemo speaks into the quiet, hoping to keep any worries to a minimum.  “He’s just Thedeim to you guys, so don’t worry about it.  I think you guys are more worried about his status than he is.  He tries to mostly just keep doing what he’s been doing.  You wanted to learn about Rocky’s affinity stuff, right Tula?”

“Er… I wouldn’t want to impose on-”

“It’s no imposition.  The big lug is eager to show off and hear opinions for some of his latest tricks.  Don’t go trying to make things all formal.  If Laermali wants to make something official, she can send someone with a more direct line.  If you want to learn, all you have to do is get to him.”  My Voice smiles at the gathered party.  “And it looks to me like you have a good party to do that.  So, where are you guys gonna go first?”

Freddie looks over the group before answering.  “I think Tula and Larrez are still recovering, so maybe it’d be best if we visit the spiderkin first?  Unless Miss Aranya is closer?”

Teemo shakes his head.  “Nah, she’s still in the ant enclave, helping them adjust.  They’ve finally sorted their leadership, so now they need to secure food for themselves.  I’m sure I could get her to come meet you at the training room, though.  She’d like to see you guys again, and I bet she’d like to get a preview of what the fight will be like, too.”

Rhonda nods at that.  “That sounds perfect!  I don’t think I should be too long with Norloke.  I can give her the robes and see what she thinks of the fit, and leave it to her to adjust.”  She pauses as she realizes something.  “Uh… what should I pay her?  Do you think she’d accept potions in trade?”

Teemo shrugs.  “Probably, but you’d have to ask her.  I think she’d normally not charge you anything for it, but the spiderkin are sewing up a storm after their deal with that cloth merchant.  I think they want to try their hands at the new composite armor, too.  I’ll get you that sample so you can check it out while she plays dress-up, Freddie.  You guys want a shortcut?”

Freddie shakes his head.  “No, but thanks.  I think we could use some time to process, or to let a couple encounters take our minds off of things.”  Larrez looks relieved at that suggestion, though Tula still looks nervous about the whole thing.

“Alright.  You guys have fun.  I’ll go get that sample and let Norloke know to expect you guys soon.”  He gives them a wave before slipping through another shortcut, but I keep watching, curious to see how they do.  It’ll be an interesting challenge to give them fun encounters without scaring Tula to death.  It’s always difficult to plan encounters when there’s a big level disparity in a party.

“Um… maybe I should go…” quietly suggests Tula, earning the focus of the group.

“It’ll be fine,” assures Rhonda.  “He didn’t tell you to leave or anything, and we can keep you safe, don’t worry.”

“It just… feels a lot bigger than what I should be sticking my nose into.  I thought I’d be looking at a weird scion, which is already something really big!  But now that weird scion is working for a new god?”  She shudders.  “I just don’t want to mess this up.  It sounds like something the Great Mother should have sent a proper priest for at least, not just a little scribe…”

Freddie rests a hand on her shoulder.  “She didn’t.  She sent you.  She thinks you’re the right person for the job.”  His gentle smile shifts to a humorous one.  “Besides, someone with actual authority would be the last person to send to Thedeim.  He likes things informal.  You’ll do fine.”

Tula looks encouraged, but not enough that she’s going to just go charging in.  “I… you think so?  You think She sent me for this?”

Freddie shrugs.  “I follow the Shield, not her, so I won’t try to say what she’d do.  It just seems to me that she could have sent her High Priest, but didn’t.  I think it was a deliberate decision.”

“Besides, I don’t think you could make a worse first impression than the Shield did,” points out Larrez with a grin, earning a laugh from Freddie and a confused look from Tula.

“What?”

“I’ll tell you the story while we move.  Let’s take the access shaft,” suggest Freddie, and soon they’re moving.  I go ahead and send a stronger probing encounter than usual: an electric dire rat and a spitting viper.  Tula gulps when she sees them, though Rhonda hands her a potion.

“Drink that.  It should help with the lightning attack.”

“Lightning?!”  Tula stares at the potion before chugging it, and Freddie and Larrez get into position to keep the denizens at bay.

“Anyway, the story,” starts Freddie, taking his stance with Fiona and Larrez at his side.  “There used to be a murderous dungeon in town called Neverrest.  It was in the cemetery.  It started encroaching on Thedeim, so he fought, beat it, and subsumed it, making the graveyard available again.”

The viper and rat attack at once, with the viper spitting at Freddie and the rat whipping its tail to sling electricity at Larrez, and hoping to arc into the others using him as the base.  Freddie raises his shield without hardly missing a beat in the story, while Larrez maneuvers his sword and watery duplicate to intercept the bolt.  “Levee parry!”

Much like a levee helps guide rivers, his rapier and water combine to channel the lightning to the ground, stopping the attack in its tracks, much to the disappointment of the rat.

“Attack the tail!” suggests Tula, even as Freddie keeps telling the story while he and Fiona keep the viper occupied.

“With the cemetery free, it just needed to be consecrated again before people could be buried again.  I still didn’t have my class at the time, but I’ve delved with Rhonda a few times, so I was sent along to help keep everyone safe during the ritual.”

Rhonda looks like she’s trying to keep her magic more subtle than usual, and she quietly heats Freddie’s hatchet as she summons several icicles to hurl at the rat, aiming for the tail like Tula suggested.  It’s not an easy target to hit, but with Larrez attacking, she manages to hit it right at the base.  Sparks fly as it loses control of the current, giving Larrez plenty of time to pierce it through the eye, cleanly finishing it off.

“So the acolyte in charge tried to consecrate the cemetery in the name of the Shield, but was rebuffed.  I didn’t know it at the time, but doing it like that tries to form a pact between the dungeon and the deity.  There’s a generic version that the acolyte was supposed to do, but he didn’t.  Searing Slash!”

He interrupts his own story to step forward and swing at the viper just after Fiona gets a web net onto it.  It wouldn’t hold the viper for long, but his buffed attack lets him quickly decapitate the dangernoodle and finish the encounter.

Tula looks relieved when the fighting is over, and takes a few moments to process both the encounter and the story Freddie was telling.  “Wait, a pact?  And the dungeon rejected it?  But I thought Teemo said Thedeim liked the Shield?”

Freddie shrugs as he inspects the head, seeing if he can get the venom glands out without too much damage.  “He did and he does, but he didn’t want to make a pact.  Then the acolyte tried to exorcize Thedeim.”

Tula’s eyes widen at that, but Freddie’s not done with the story just yet.  “So Larx, the elder of the ratkin enclave, consecrated the cemetery instead, while the acolyte was preparing a stronger ritual to exorcise him.  He made a big ruckus shouting at Larx, so Grim, Thedeim’s skeleton scion came over to investigate.  Then he tried to turn Grim, but the magic had no effect on him at all.  And you know what Grim did?”

Tula looks nervous as she replies.  “Attack?  I mean, it sounded like the acolyte was doing everything in his power to anger the dungeon.”

Freddie smiles and shakes his head.  “Nope.  He shushed the acolyte.  After that, we left before he could embarrass himself any more, heh.”

Larrez chuckles at the story and looks at Tula.  “So see?  I can’t picture you doing anything worse than that.”

The titters at that, looking relieved to know I’m not going to just sic my scions on her for an accidental insult, or even a deliberate one.  “That does make me feel better, at least.”

Freddie returns to the viper head and pulls out a small knife to try to dress it for the glands, giving Rhonda a chance to speak up.

“So, how’d you know about the tail?  We’ve fought them a few times, but mostly just use potions to deal with the lightning.  Good parry by the way, Larrez!”

He smiles at the compliment.  “Thank you.  I got the idea from the lightning rod at the mayor’s manor.  I had to clean it with Mr. Miller’s guidance, and he talked about how lightning always seeks the ground.  I’m curious about how you knew about the tail, too, Tula.”

She looks bashful at the attention, but doesn’t keep the secret for too long.  “Well… I don’t really do adventuring much because I have knowledge affinity.   Can’t really hit harder with it, but I can analyze and find weaknesses.  Not that I can usually take advantage of them, but still.”

“Sounds useful,” comments Freddie as he works.  I think he’s going to manage it, too.  They’re pretty tricky to get out, but he’s taking his time and doing it right.

Rhonda and Larrez both nod their agreement.  “Maybe we can get you to come adventure with us more often, then?” asks the elf.  “We’re pretty good at adapting to whatever attacks come our way, but having a better idea of what to expect would make things easier.”

“...maybe?  That was still frightening, but… was it really useful?”

“Definitely,” assures Rhonda.  “In fact, if we fight another one, I think I’ll try to avoid the tail and see if Freddie can get it off in one piece.  I bet Master Staiven can use it for lightning resist potions at the least!  Oh, that reminds me!”  Rhonda turns back to the house and points at the herbalism nodes growing along the back.

 “You need some ochredill!  Let’s grab that before we head to the enclave.”

Freddie stands, knife cleaned and put away, and glands securely in a vial in a pouch now.  “Works for me.  I hope we get to fight another electric dire rat, just for the look on Old Staiven’s face when I slam a big rat butt on his counter and ask for money.”

They laugh at the image as they head for the nodes and I smile to myself, glad to see them making friends.