Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy

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Teemo

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The Voice of Thedeim smiles as he feels his Boss settle in to dig through his options.  He’s been a bit on edge with the whole Maw situation, and it just feels right for him to get back into planning.  Just because the Boss can orchestrate the destruction of a dangerous dungeon and capture a crazy scion, doesn’t mean it’s something he actually enjoys doing.

He sets aside what Thedeim is doing for the moment, and refocuses his attention on Tarl and Berdol.  “Do you guys need any other help here?”

Tarl shakes his head.  “I don’t think so.  I’m going to take the time to detail things a bit more, but I think we’re about done here.”

“Would you like a second opinion from a Ranger?”

“I wouldn’t turn it down.  They’re much more experienced with stagnant mana than I am.  Did you have one in mind?”

Teemo nods.  “Yeah, Yvonne.  I dunno how much experience she has with stagnant mana specifically, but she should know at least a little.  I’m pretty sure she gave me and the Boss a brief primer on the mana cycle you explained a while ago, but I think we were missing the context to make it stick, you know?”

This time Tarl nods.  “If she’s available, I’d love to have her perspective on this.  Maybe she knows what these unsettling holes are from.  I haven’t encountered anything like them as a dungeoneer, but maybe a Ranger has.”

“Then I’ll be back in… I dunno, an hour?”

Tarl nods and waves Teemo off as he motions for Berdol to come take a closer look at something.  “Make sure you sketch this knot here carefully.”

Teemo dives into a fresh shortcut as Berdol moves to comply, and the rat scion revels in how easy they’re becoming.  Usually, temporary shortcuts need to stay pretty short and small or else they take too long or cost too much.  But now he feels like he can dash through minute cracks in the rock as easily as the tunnels everyone takes.

It’s also nice to get confirmation that he’s doing a good job with his spatial affinity.  The Boss has always been impressed, but he has a unique perspective that makes it hard to tell just how well he’s doing.  But after getting to talk with Kennith, and seeing him so impressed with the Mobius Trap, Teemo can’t help but feel a deep sense of accomplishment.

It’s always easy to try to compare himself to Rocky or Fluffles, and find himself severely lacking.  But now he has an independent opinion that he is, in fact, accomplished in his niche.  He doesn’t need to try to expand his affinities like those two scions, but knowing his hard work is paying off in its own way is more than a small relief.

It even has him wondering if he should try to expand his affinities, too.  While he’s pretty confident he understands what the Boss was trying to say now about how pressure, volume, and temperature are linked, he doesn’t know if he wants to expand into the obviously linked affinities.  Temperature would open up ice and fire, and those two seem pretty linked to kinetic.  Pressure might open up wind affinity?  As cool as Fluffles and Rocky look slinging those around, they don’t quite feel within Teemo’s grasp just yet.

What does feel within his grasp is something he’s heard the Boss deliberately try not to think too hard about where Teemo can hear.  Not because he’s trying to keep it a secret, but because he doesn’t want to force the rat in a particular direction.  While Teemo appreciates that, the possible affinity is intriguing.

The only issue is he’s not certain if it’s an actual affinity.  He’s not even sure anyone else has realized the concept yet.  Still, with how Fundamental-with-a-capital-F the Boss says it is, Teemo can’t see any way gravity isn’t an affinity.  It might just end up being kinetic affinity, but the rat’s gut insists that, no matter how similar they might look in effect, the two should achieve the same thing very differently.

Fluffles could pick up something and move it around, where a gravity affinity would make the thing fall upward, and fall in whatever other direction it needs to go, before negating gravitic effect to allow the object to float.  He’s already been teasing at manipulating gravity inside his shortcuts, which is why he feels like he could break through.  Sure, it’s just a matter of defining a different ‘down’ inside a shortcut, but if he understands the Boss right, bending space basically creates gravity.

He’ll need to toy with it later, probably after getting back home and meeting with the other dungeons.  Boss will want to talk with them about how to distribute all that mana, and probably want to offer suggestions to everyone for what to spend their shares on.  A scion or two for Southwood is an easy guess, and a beach expansion for Hullbreak is also pretty obvious.  The only uncertainty is with Violet.  Having her designate a Voice is a no-brainer, but does she even have the option yet?  Just another thing to bring up at a meeting of dungeons.

He sets aside the idea of a meeting for now as he pops out of a crack in the tunnel leading to the last bar he knew Ragnar and Aelara were at.  Even if Yvonne isn’t with them, they should know where she is.  Thankfully, not only does it look like they haven’t gone to a new tavern yet, it also looks like the birdwoman is enjoying the spectacle of Ragnar participating in a drinking contest with probably a dozen or so pale dwarves.

With everyone focused on the carousing, jeering, and ribbing shouts of the participants, Teemo easily slips over to Yvonne’s table, where she and Aelara are idly chatting.

“-and the milk from the worms is… oh, hello Teemo.”  Aelara smiles at Teemo as she notices him, the elven woman looking dainty and even posh, even with the pint of ale near her.

“Heya Aelara, Yvonne.  I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Yvonne shakes her hawklike head.  “No, we were just talking about the milkworms.  They’re one of the biggest types of worms I’ve ever seen, and Aelara says their milk is at least as good for skincare as it is for making cheese.”

“Yeah?”

Aelara nods.  “I’ve found a few balms that use it, and they’re lovely.  They keep very well, too!  I’m going to get plenty before we make our way back to Fourdock.”

“Not today, I hope?” inquires the rat, and Aelara titters and shakes her head.

“I don’t think we’ll be leaving for at least another week.  The earth here is more resilient than I’m used to, so it’ll be good to train my affinity.  And Ragnar hasn’t had a proper drinking competition since he left his hold, I think.”

“Cool, because I’d like to borrow Yvonne, if you don’t mind me stealing away half your conversation?”

Yvonne smiles.  “I don’t mind.  I’ve been exploring around a little, but the mana flows are difficult to sort out after the Maw vanished.  I wouldn’t be surprised if a new dungeon spawns somewhere nearby soon.”

“That’s part of the reason I want to have you look at something, Yvonne.  The mana is weird.  Tarl’s been investigating a particular spot, and we both think you might have some new insights to offer on it.”

Yvonne tilts her head in curiosity.  “Oh?  No offense, Aelara, but that sounds more intriguing than worm balm.”

Aelara laughs and takes a drink of her ale.  “None taken!  Don’t think you can escape me so easily, though.  You may need to care more for feathers than skin, but that just means I’ll get to experiment to find you something that will keep your feathers in the peak of health!”

Yvonne smiles as Teemo hops onto her shoulder.  “I look forward to it.  I don’t usually care too much about that sort of thing, but a girl does sometimes want to feel soft and fluffy when not on a delve.”

“That’s the spirit!  You two have fun!”  Aelara waves as Teemo opens another shortcut, and the two vanish down it.

“So, what did Tarl find?”

“He’s not completely sure.  The Boss thinks it could be something dangerous.  Well, something that implies something dangerous.  The thing itself is pretty much inert, but if there are others, it could be bad.  I’ll let you take a look before I give you the Boss’ take on it.”

“Thedeim thinks it could be dangerous?  That’s concerning… though he is often more creative with things than most.  Just because he can think of something dangerous for something, doesn’t mean anyone else would.  Still… I get the feeling it has something to do with the Harbinger.”

“Got it in one.  I guess it’s not much of a spoiler if I tell you Tarl is pretty sure he found the remains of the Harbinger’s spawner, which also makes it the remains of the least and lesser spawner.”

Yvonne quirks an eyebrow at that and increases her pace.  “Oh?  I would like to look at that even without a vague warning from Thedeim.”

The two focus more on speed than conversation after that, and soon pop back into the chamber with the ruined spawner.  Yvonne immediately frowns as she looks around.

“That’s… unnatural,” she confirms, her eyes settling on the unsettling holes near Tarl and Berdol.

“I thought as much,” speaks up the elf, “but I wanted a Ranger to confirm.  What do you think?”

“It’s stagnant.  Even more… there’s a snarl of stagnation.”

“Is that the weird mess of stagnant mana?” asks Berdol, showing his sketch.  Yvonne takes a closer look at his notes before nodding.

“That’s a snarl of stagnation.  It’s… how do I put it… it’s like a spawner, but for stagnation monsters.  While the smaller ones can simply coalesce in deep stagnation areas, there are occasionally these snarls that will give rise to stronger monsters.”

“Can it be undone?” asks Teemo, eyeing the jumble of mana.  When he last saw it, it just seemed like a mass of stationary mana, but looking closer, it really does look like someone tied it in a multitude of messy knots.  The only question is if it was deliberate.  Considering it’s where the spawner was, it’s difficult to chalk it up to coincidence.

Yvonne nods and examines the tangle.  “It’s a Ranger technique.  Some can slice through it, but I have a knack for untying them.  It’s like a beaver’s dam, in that if it’s weakened enough, the natural flow can sweep it away.  I’ve never dealt with one like this, though.  I think it will unravel on its own eventually, since it’s not deep in stagnation, but I don't see any reason we shouldn’t try to speed it along.

Tarl looks thoughtful.  “Can we help?”

Yvonne ponders as she continues examining the stagnation.  “Ordinarily, I’d need to be guarded from the stagnation monsters while I work.  Disturbing stagnant mana often triggers monsters to spawn.  But with just this snarl… I’d like you to guard me, but it might not be required.”

Tarl nods and draws his daggers, with Berdol levitating his blades a heartbeat later.  “I think standing watch is a small price to pay to get to see something like this.”

The birdwoman nods and starts drawing on her affinity, leaning on her Fate to find the weakest thread to start with.  Teemo assists with Butterfly Effect, letting it guide him as he occasionally plucks at a strand.  He loses track of time as they work, the meticulous job keeping his focus without being too much of a strain.

After what feels like maybe a few hours, Yvonne finally steps back with a smile at the weakened snarl.  To Teemo, it looks like it’s barely holding together, which Yvonne soon confirms.

“It’s ready now.  Tarl, Berdol, would you please use some mana?  All it needs is a bit of turbulence to collapse.”

Tarl nods and steps into Berdol’s shadow as the catkin starts weaving his blades in complex patterns.  Teemo watches as the mana around them starts bubbling from the use, and once the turbulence touches the snarl, the snarl implodes.

The rat scion smiles for a moment before he hears a gasp from both Yvonne and Tarl, and it only takes him a moment to realize why.  He can see the stagnant threads, the turbulent bubbles, and the lamellar flow are all interacting!  He can hardly comprehend the process, but the effect is pretty clear.

As the four watch, a tiny chip of jet crystalizes into reality on the floor in front of the holes, and Teemo can feel a tiny curious and frightened presence from it.  He, Yvonne, and Berdol all stare for a few moments, before Tarl stomps on a beetle scurrying towards the vulnerable little core.

“Defend it,” he orders, and everyone scrambles to obey.

“I think it has spawners in the holes.  Hide inside, little one,” gently suggests Teemo, and though he can still feel fear from it, he can also feel it struggling to follow his suggestion.  Teemo quickly dispatches any invaders that manage to slip past Tarl, Berdol, or Yvonne, all the while a little worm wriggles from a hole, the dungeon’s first denizen and scion, moving to secure the core.  Once it reaches it, the worm coils around it, while at the same time, a small brass disk with four small limbs stumbles from a different hole.

Teemo watches the other denizen awkwardly gather the worm and core atop the plate, before it bumbles back to a hole and into it with a series of clanks that indicate it simply fell in.  Teemo can still feel the little dungeon is still alive, still frightened, but feeling much more secure now as denizens start slowly milling around the holes.

Teemo’s still trying to process what they all just saw as Tarl pulls out his note stone.  “Nascent dungeon coalescence witnessed.  Unnamed dungeon, shadow affinity.  Worm and construct spawners, worm scion.”