Peek: Just One More (Patreon)

If he could, Grim would frown as he follows the elven delver. He's not quite sure how to handle this one. Typically, when he senses a delver in true danger, it's because of an impending accident. Maybe a delver overestimates themselves, or a denizen forgets to hold back enough. Usually, it's a combination of factors, and just a few subtle changes to the environment is all it takes to keep the delver safe without anyone but Master Thediem being aware.

But this one is... odd.

He's no expert in delvers, but he has observed the effects of sleep deprivation, usually in the days after someone has been interred to his cemetery. Grief makes the delvers do unhealthy things, but he doesn't think this one is in morning.

"One more..." grumbles the elf, leaning on his spear as he stumbles through the tunnels. Typically, if a delver is this compromised, a denizen will simply come along, defeat it, and move on. Grim turns his head to watch a widow come down the tunnel intending to do just that.

Whatever haze the delver is under seems to clear, the unfocused eyes gleaming as the unstable gait suddenly solidifies. The spear flows smoothly as the delver fights the widow, and despite the signs of exhaustion, the elf emerges victorious, without any injuries to speak of.

He stands over the body, his wide triumphant grin slipping as the excitement of battle fades. He leans on his spear again and tilts his head as he seems to think, then shuffles onward with another mutter of "I can do one more..."

Each time, Grim doubts him. Each time, Grim is proven wrong.

The elf looks more and more haggard as the night progresses, looking more and more like a single rat could look at him wrong and cause him to collapse. Yet with each encounter, each repetition of "One more..." the elf continues to wander the tunnels.

And Grim starts to understand why he felt the need to intervene. It's not the denizens nor the traps that are the danger to this delver, but rather the delver himself.

But how does he deal with it?

An idea forms, and he feels Master Thedeim would approve. He makes sure the denizens give the delver a wide berth as he takes a shortcut to the Forest, then returns to appear before the elf.

He actually bumps into Grim before noticing him.

"Sorry, didn't see... wait, you're not an adventurer." The elf blinks slowly up at Grim, his bloodshot eyes having difficulty focusing. It's enough to tempt Grim to ask an ordinary denizen to deal with him, if he hadn't watched him clear his head many times already, just long enough to fight.

Instead, Grim carefully takes the elf by the shoulders and guides him to lean against the wall. The elf gives token resistance, but whatever battle trance he had been abusing never kicks in. Probably because the delvers know not to try to fight Grim.

"Is that really Grim?" he asks, and Grim nods, earning a tired smile from the elf. "Oh. Am I in trouble?"

Grim tilts his skull, wondering how he should reply. The elf is in trouble, but not the kind he thinks he's in. Instead of a nod or a shake of the head, Grim instead reaches into his robe and pulls out a large flower to hand the elf.

Bleary-eyed, he takes it without thinking. For a moment, the exhaustion retreats as he recognizes the denizen in his hand. "A dreambloom? That's... not... fair..." Whatever he had been doing to power through his sleep deprivation, it appears to be no match for the dreambloom. Grim easily catches him, and deprives the elf of more of his loot than usual.

Typically, a delver loses only a few rewards from Master Thedeim if they are beaten, but Grim feels this one needs to be given a harsher penalty. The other denizens cart the goods away while Grim carries him to the manor gates, and lays him in the shade of a tree to protect him from the morning sun.

A delver should know better than to do an all-nighter, especially one at his level.