Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Six

The rest of the inspection of Hullbreak goes pretty well.  I might have missed a couple details while listening in on Onyx trying to explain why sewage is not tasty.  As amusing as it is to listen to, it’s also very heartening for Hullbreak to invite the inspectors to his Sanctum.

He’s told the merfolk about it, as they are working on a temple for it, hidden in the kelp cave.  They’re still working on carving the walls, but the pedestal for his core is pretty nice.  It’s a triangular column fit for his size, though they’ll need to expand it soon, or find some other way to display it.  It’s come a long way from being able to fit in the First Mate’s mouth.  It’s… about a yard on each edge, now?  It’ll be difficult for them to make a pedestal for something like that.

Oh, they could make a recess in the pedestal and display it point down.  I dunno if his core has a designated up or not.  My sphere doesn’t, because that’s kinda the point (or lack thereof) in a sphere.  I’d have Teemo ask, but I don’t want to interrupt the little ceremony.  Showing your core is a big deal, and Berdol and Olander understand that.  Hullbreak is pretty nervous about it, but I also can feel resolve and relief in putting that kind of trust out there.  He’s not going to be holding guided tours of his Sancum to the ordinary delvers, but this should go a long way towards repairing relations with the guild proper.

I also consider Teemo’s suspicion of Olander.  He’s easily the strongest person I’ve seen.  Miller, Rezlar’s butler, gives me strong vibes, too, but nothing as clear as with Olander.  Even if Miller is stronger, he’s not going to delve me, so I’m more than happy to chew on the problem that could actually be a problem.

While I don’t exactly expect he’ll be like the trio when they first showed up, trying to attack residents and scions without a care, I don’t know if I’ll be able to give him a delve he wants.  At least not yet.

I want to make the forest hard enough for him to need to pay attention, though I don’t want to be strong enough to be a challenge for him yet.  That kind of level of encounters would be way more than the other delvers can handle.  He might have some fun with the gauntlet, or playing with the traps in the lava labyrinth, but as far as combat encounters go, I think I only have one that could interest him: Rocky.

If any of my scions are going to give him a proper encounter, it’ll be Rocky.  Just thinking about it has my zombie boxer looking excited, his fists a blur as he shadowboxes.  He taps into his affinities as he has a proper workout, blending and transforming his known affinities in all sorts of interesting ways.  Losing to the empowered Harbinger did nothing to dampen his spirit, and I’d wager he’s already working on techniques to counter the combo breaker moves it liked to do.

Hmm… I should make a thing of this.  Like a whole thing.  Rocky’s bouts with the delvers have been pretty impromptu, spur of the moment affairs.  What if we publicize it a bit?  I can already feel Teemo’s approval, even as he keeps quiet in the tail end of Hullbreak’s inspection.

What will we need?  What does any good prize fight need?  We need the fighters, sure, but we also need spectators.  There’s plenty of seats, but I think they can be improved on.  It’s been a while since it was put in properly.  The stone benches aren’t terrible, but I think we can do more.  In addition to seating, we also need concession stands!  The smiths and smelters have been making me some good mana working in the mall area outside the labyrinth.  If it works for that, it should work for people making food, right?

I even could put in that kitchen I picked up.  I poke around the arena, looking for places to put in a few amenities until Teemo, Berdol, and Olander get back to Fourdock proper.

Teemo easily rides Berdol’s shoulder as they walk back to their guild, and speaks up as they get close.

“So, you guys are going to delve Violet next?”

Berdol nods.  “Yep, probably in a day or two.  Telar will want to update Hullbreak’s packet, and that usually takes a couple days.”

“Cool.  You know Violet claimed the sewers, yeah?  And she got her Voice, too?”

Berdol looks happy, while Olander looks alarmed at the news.  The elf can’t get his thoughts in order before the catkin replies.  “That’s great to hear!  Well, not about her taking the sewers, but about the Voice.  Who did she pick?”

“Onyx.  Legs isn’t very sociable, Nose is usually off on expedition, and Cappy isn’t exactly mobile.  Her other two scions are still getting settled, so she didn’t want to overburden them.”

“How many scions does she have?” asks Olander, looking concerned.  Teemo smirks at him, having fun teasing the high-level elf.

“Six.  They grow up so fast.”

“But how?  The upkeep…” He trails off as he runs the numbers, which only increases Teemo’s smile.

“She’s learning from the Boss.  And she hasn’t upgraded them too much yet, so there’s not too much in the way of upkeep anyway.  But I wanted to ask about after Violet’s inspection.  The Boss will be after, yeah?”

Berdol nods while Olander still looks distracted, but Teemo gets his attention quickly.

“Then the Boss would like to invite Olander there to a prize fight.  I can tell you’re strong, and Rocky’s just itching to fight someone as strong as you.”

Olander looks very guarded at that invitation.  “I don’t know…”

“Why not?  You’d probably give Rocky the best challenge he’s ever had from a delver!” exclaims Berdol, to the frown of Olander.

“That’s the zombie, right?  I’ve faced a few zombie scions before.  They can be pretty good at taking a hit, but they’re always so slow.”

Teemo snorts as Berdol smiles.  “Trust me, he’s not slow.  He’s a strange sort of fist fighter with a mastery of a wide range of affinities.  What ones does he have now, Teemo?  I think the official pamphlet is a bit out of date.”

Teemo takes a moment to gather his thoughts, and totally not to increase the dramatic reveal.  “Let me see… well, fate, but that hardly counts.  Kinetic, fire, ice, sonic or thunder, if you prefer, and mental.”

Olander stares in disbelief as Berdol simply makes a note.  “Mental?”

“Yeah, he picked it up from defending against the Harbinger.  So far, it’s all defense, so no worry about him messing with anyone’s mind.”

“That’s… how… picked up?!” sputters Olander.  “That’s not how that works!”

Teemo shrugs.  “Rocky has the title Affinity Savant.  Argue with the title, if you want.  Anyway, are you in?”

“In?”

“For the prize fight.  I’m sure Grim himself will be there to make sure nothing too bad happens.  He takes the Boss’ reputation for safety seriously.  So, are you in?”

Olander looks like he wants to argue a couple points with Order, but he takes a minute or two to pace a bit and calm himself down before answering.  “So… a challenge from the dungeon itself?”  He looks to Berdol.  “Would the Dungeoneer’s have any problem with this?”

The catkin shrugs.  “I doubt it.  Most of Thedeim’s scions aren’t really meant to fight, but Rocky is a major exception.  There’s even an arena in the tunnels specifically for fighting Rocky.  The closest ones to winning so far were Freddie, Rhonda, and Larrez.  Rocky still knocked all three of them out, but they dug the deepest and were rewarded.  Most of the other challengers either thought they could get an easy win, or have been using the bouts as a test for new skills.”

“Are there any rules?”

“Mostly, just stay in the ring, stop if the bell rings.  There’s specifics for groups, but if you’re solo, that’s it.”

“So I can use a weapon and my affinity?  Armor?”

Teemo nods.  “That’s all fine.  Rocky is training to be able to handle things like that.  The Boss made him to be a proper boss fight, and Rocky has been having fun with it the entire time.”

Olander folds his arms, considering.  It’s not difficult to tell he’s very cautious about accepting a fight with my scion.  I think he’s been in more than a couple dungeons before, so I wouldn’t be surprised if other ones might use something like this as a trap.  On the other hand, you don’t get as many levels as he has by avoiding challenges.  I dunno if even Rocky can give him a good fight, but even the prospect has the elf sorely tempted.

Eventually he sighs and straightens up.  “I accept.”

Teemo and Berdol both smile wide, though I imagine for different reasons.  Berdol will get to see one heck of an exhibition batch, where Teemo may have just secured me a big pile of mana.  “Great!  Swing by the manor when you get the chance then.  One of Boss’ aranea should have a quest plaque for you.  You can even do a bit of normal delving, if you want.  The Boss has a lot of stuff to interest a delver.”

Olander looks uncomfortable once more when Teemo mentions a quest, but he’s not backing down.  “I just might.  I hear a lot about him, but I haven’t had a chance to delve yet.  That won’t be a problem, right?”

Berdol shakes his head.  “That’ll be fine.  The Dungeoneers are pretty friendly with the local dungeons, so I can’t imagine you doing anything to change that.  Heh, just take the time to read that booklet you got from Telar.  Thedeim does a lot of things differently.  If you’re used to belligerents, it’ll be a pretty significant shift.”

“I’ll do that, and probably stick around the guild to ask questions, too.  There’s a lot of things I haven’t seen before.” He looks thoughtful as he and Berdol head inside the guild, and Teemo hops into a shortcut back home.  

None too soon, honestly.  Onyx has gotten through to Violet about how sewage isn’t delicious, but now she seems to be comparing the delvers to sewage.  It’s in the nicest way possible, she likes them both, but Onyx could probably use a hand straightening that out.