Chapter Five-Hundred (Patreon)

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Violet

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She feels… restless.  Or frustrated?  She wants to do something, but the something is very clearly out of her reach.  She’s been trying to ignore the feeling, whatever it is, but she’s not doing very well, she thinks.

Mentor Thedeim and Onyx both think that feeling might be why so many young dungeons get subsumed.  There’s just so many interesting things outside!  She wants to bring them inside so she can look at them better!  She knows that feeling, at least: curiosity.

Whatever she’s feeling now is partially because she can’t indulge it, but there’s more.  Mentor Thedeim is working on fighting something again.  It’s not the first time he’s had to fight something, and not the first time she’s wanted to help.  First was with Hullbreak, but that was fighting to save him from himself.

That was a complicated concept for her to understand, and she still struggles to understand when she’s supposed to step in.  Her own delvers are pretty cautious, at least the ones that come into the sewers to fight.  She’s still trying to learn how hard she can press the delvers.  Teeth is helping, too.  He still doesn’t like fighting them, but he understands it earns her a lot of mana.

She sends her appreciation to her scions, as glad to have all them as she is for Mentor Thedeim.  Cappy helps her learn about outside, Onyx lets her talk to the delvers, Legs keeps her safe and is even working on making metal things to encourage delvers to visit, Nose explores even further out than Cappy can reach, Teeth makes sure to deal with invaders and is helping with the delvers, and Slimy makes sure the sewers process all the tasty sewage!

Er… useful sewage.  She still remembers Onyx making sure to drill the difference into her.  She’s still not sure why she shouldn’t call it tasty, but she accepts Onyx’ wisdom, especially with how hard Teemo was laughing when he overheard.  At least it’s not a mistake that’s actually bad, and more like thinking Rhonda and Freddie were mushrooms at first.

And thinking of them, Cappy says they’re supposed to be delving her, soon.  She likes when they delve!  As long as she doesn’t let her slimes outnumber them, they make her a lot of mana!  And they help her a lot, and mentor Thediem likes them, too! But why are they going to be delving her?  She’s looking forward to it, but the other reason she’s feeling… whatever she’s feeling is because everyone is getting ready for the big fight, and they need to fight strong things to get ready!

And while she thinks she’s doing pretty good for her age, she knows mentor Thedeim is so much stronger than she is.  She wants to ask Cappy why they’re coming, but her question and the answer are too complicated for her to fit through the bond.  But that’s what Onyx is for.

Onyx is also curious, so she heads to Cappy’s nearest significant node to question him.

“Why are the young delvers coming?  Shouldn’t they be getting ready for Mentor Thedeim’s test?”

Cappy’s reply is complicated, like they usually are.  He understands a lot more about the delvers than Violet does, and they’re very complicated, too.  Answers about them can’t help but be complicated as well, right?

Onyx is surprised at the answer, and soon translates.  “He says they are preparing.  Everyone but Pul has a companion, so they want to get him one, too.  And he wants one of the gremlins, apparently?”

Violet is confused about that, too.  Wouldn’t they want one of Mentor Thedeim’s stronger denizens?  She takes a few seconds to think about the companions the group already has, and can already see the answer isn’t necessarily yes.  Violet still thinks Mentor Thedeim’s denizens are stronger than hers, but they did all tame basic denizens, some of the earliest spawns for their spawner.

Maybe she can help?  She checks on her mana and sees she has a good stockpile, just like Mentor Thedeim says she should.  She could upgrade her gremlins to the next spawn, and give the delver protege something else to tame!

Onyx shakes her head with a smile as she feels Violet’s excitement.  “Keep an eye on them, Cappy.  Looks like Violet is going to try to help.”

Violet eagerly examines her gremlins to look at her options, and she can feel Mentor Thedeim’s curious gaze as well.  She’s happy to have him looking, too.  He’ll make sure she picks something good!  She only has a few options to pick from, but she’s happy about that.  Teemo says Mentor Thedeim sometimes has a hundred things to look at when he wants to upgrade!  That sounds overwhelming to Violet, and she appreciates her limited selection.

Her first option is a rottouch gremlin.  It’s bigger than the ones she has, and can use the decay affinity a lot better, too!  She likes her affinity, and she thinks it could be something strong for the delvers to tame, but Mentor Thedeim is hesitant about it.  It makes her take a closer look, and she quickly realizes why.  It can rot delvers with a touch!  It’d be good against invaders, but she doesn’t want to make her delvers fall apart like that!

Next is the shadowstep gremlin.  These ones are closer to Onyx and her shadow affinity, able to hide in shadows!  She doesn’t think they can move between them like her Voice can, but it’s still something interesting.  Mentor Thedeim seems to like it, too, so she keeps it in mind as she checks the final option.

Last is the gemspike gremlin.  They’re earth affinity and can fire little sharpened crystals to attack.  It’s less scary than the rottouch attack, but it still makes her nervous.  Mentor Thedeim also seems interested in them, and the reason why slips through the bond: resources.

Looking closer at them, they can help her seed gem nodes, and improve the quality of any she gets, too!  She likes nodes, like her bunnies.  The delvers like them, too, and they give her mana without needing to fight!  Mentor Thediem likes them, too, so that's good!

Wait… that’s two he likes.  She can only take one!  Which one should she take?!  She tries to ask through the bond, but he only gives her encouragement, not an answer!  Desperate, she turns to Onyx for help.

Her Voice patiently listens as Violet explains her problem, and smiles as she finishes.  “I think Mentor Thediem wants you to pick which one, Violet.  I can help you think them through, though.”  She slips through shadows and into the Sancturm to settle in next to Violet’s core, the square cut gemstone shape almost big enough for her to sit on now.

“Well… the shadow ones will be good for a lot of things,” she explains, and Violet eagerly listens.  “I’m biased, of course, but even if they can’t jump shadows like I can, being able to hide is a great thing for a denizen, and for a delver to seek in a tame.  It’ll give you more stealth options in the future, and… well, you might not like them as much.  A lot of late shadow affinity denizens specialize in quickly killing intruders… invader and delver both.  But they could also be great for you to send if Mentor Thedeim fights other things, too.”

Violet thinks on that for several minutes.  She likes the idea of them being a good help for the delvers, but she’s less appreciative of how dangerous the later spawns will probably be.  She still remembers the really strong delver that really didn’t like Onyx.  If even a delver like that could be worried, maybe she should avoid the shadow gremlins.  But… if she could give something like that to the delvers, wouldn’t it keep them safe more easily, too?

“The other option will let you make gem nodes easily, and upgrade them easily, too.  The attack isn’t too dangerous, but as a tame, having a ranged attack also gives a delver a lot of options.  The main problem is it’ll make the spawner very expensive to upgrade further.  It already has shadow on it, and you’d be adding earth affinity, too.”

Violet looks back at the option and realizes how right Onyx is about the cost.  She just saw she could afford it and didn’t pay much attention beyond that.  It’s almost twice the cost of the shadow one!  She can still afford it without dipping too low on her reserve mana, but it’s something else she needs to remember to keep track of.

But which should she choose?  She still really likes them both, and the down sides don’t make her want to toss either out.  Dangerous denizens can be kept in special areas so the delvers don’t just stumble into them, and expensive upgrades just mean needing to save up a bit more for more benefit!

So… which does she want more?  She wants to keep the delvers safe, but she also wants to give them safer things to do that still helps them both.  Strong tames will keep them safe, but how many will want a tame?  Most delvers don’t bother with it, though Violet has been noticing more and more delvers with a companion.  But gem nodes will help the delvers with better stuff, and mining is a lot safer than fighting in the first place!

She feels Cappy wanting her attention, and this time the message is simple enough to fit through the bond: the young delvers are on their way.  She still doesn’t know what to pick!  And if she doesn’t pick anything, she’ll miss the chance to help them!

She feels more encouragement from her Mentor, and while it helps her calm down, it doesn’t help her pick with spawn to take!  Onyx rests a hand on her core, which helps her calm down even more, and lets her try to think about it like Mentor Thediem would.

Planning ahead is good, but she shouldn’t get ahead of herself.  She really likes the idea of gem nodes, but she hasn’t made many yet because she doesn’t have room.  If she takes the gemspike gremlins, she’ll also need to expand, and she doesn’t even need Mentor Thedeim to tell her she’s not ready for that yet.

Partially because she needs stronger denizens.  The shadowstep gremlins will be strong and keep not only the delvers safe… but help keep her safe, too.  And she doesn’t have to be a danger to the delvers.  If her gremlins can pop out of shadows, that’s a lot like Mentor Thedeim’s denizens using shortcuts, and he doesn’t hurt the delvers!  The more she thinks about it, the more sure she is that shadowstep gremlins are her best option.  If she wants to focus on gem nodes later… there’s probably an option for that in her moles, come to think of it.  Of all her spawners, her gremlins are her best choice for something to drive back dangers.

And just being dangerous doesn’t mean it can’t be friendly.  Grim is one of Mentor Thedeim’s most dangerous scions, but he’s also the one most concerned with keeping the delvers safe!

She spends the mana as she feels the young delvers enter the sewers and start hunting rat invaders to offer her gremlins, and feels pride flowing from Mentor Thedeim at her choice.  She watches the first shadowstep gremlin exit the spawner, its fine scales almost as dark as Onyx, and its claws and teeth looking much sharper than the ones on the normal gremlins.  Onyx intercepts it before it can get very far, and she leads it to the sewers as the delvers continue to work.

For her part, Violet basks in the warmth flowing through the bond, glad Mentor Thedeim approves of her choice, and not simply because he agrees with it.  She thought it through, and she gets the feeling that, of all the things he’s trying to teach her, that might be the most important.