Chapter Three-Hundred Sixty-Eight

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Larez

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Perhaps delving Violet was a mistake.  It could certainly be more of a mistake, but walking through the sewers makes Rezlar appreciate why so few people delve sewers.  And that’s even taking into account the fact that the sewers are practically spotless thanks to Violet’s efforts.

There’s still a lingering scent of foulness, despite the clean walls and clear water.  It’s bearable, and Rezlar is pretty sure the others hardly even notice it, but he’s definitely looking forward to a long hot bath after this particular delve.

The environment isn’t the only potential mistake, either.  Violet’s denizens are very peaceful, which makes fighting feel a bit awkward.  He and the others wouldn’t want to mess with them while they’re working, but how else are they going to get some practice in?

Violet seems to be trying, which only makes it feel more awkward for the elf and his friends.  A little putrid ooze can only look so threatening, and the gremlins flanking it look like nervous apprentices on their first day of work.

At least that makes it easier for Tupul to get in some practice.  Rhonda and Freddie easily dispatch the ooze and one gremlin with a little ice and a quick swing of a hatchet, leaving Rezlar to guide Tupul through a few basic strikes.  More than once, he resists giving the gremlin advice, too, and he thinks all parties involved are relieved when the gremlin finally goes down.

“That… was pretty bad, right?” asks Tupul.  Rhonda tries to ignore the question while Freddie begrudgingly nods.

“It… wasn’t great, yeah.”

“But that’s what practice is for,” encourages Rezlar, though Tupul still looks down about the whole experience.  Before they can go over what just happened, a new voice joins them.

“Sorry about that.  Violet has me in charge of the encounters, but most of us aren’t used to fighting,” admits Onyx, the shade manifesting from the shadows and looking awkward rather than terrifying.  “I’ve been trying to teach them, but Violet isn’t too big on violence, so it’s slow going.”

Rhonda smiles at her.  “It’s alright.  We don’t want to force anything, we’re just trying to make sure she gets some mana while we try to get some fertilizer.  Do you know where a chest or something is?”

Onyx blinks for a moment before shaking her head.  “No, we don’t have any chests yet.  Violet likes the idea, at least, but I think she’s still feeling out what to do in the sewers still.”

“Where can we get some fertilizer, then?  I’ve heard a few adventurers got some, but I don’t know how.”

“Oh, it’s from the oozes.  They don’t always drop some, but they’re your best bet for that,” helpfully supplies the young Voice.

“Is there anything we can help with, while we’re here?” asks Freddie.

Onyx looks uncertain for a second before replying.  “Do you have any advice on encounters?  Violet is fine with me organizing some fights, but she doesn’t want to actually hurt anyone.  Mentor Thedeim is really good at that, so I’ve been trying to follow his example, but…”  She leaves her sentence unfinished, knowing the consequences of giving a fight delvers can’t handle.

“Do you have any of Lord Thedeim’s healing slimes?” asks Rezlar, earning a nod from Onyx.  “Well, you probably won’t be in too much trouble, then, if a party gets in over their heads.”

“It’s not just that,” insists the shade.  “The denizens are worried about it, too.  The oozes are happy to try, but the caiman refuse to engage with delvers.  The gremlins are better, but they’re still worried about accidents.”

“Have you tried asking Thedeim for advice?” asks Tupul, earning a sigh from what should be a very scary scion.

“...no.  Violet wants to figure it out on her own.  It’s just going slower than I had hoped.”

The silence soon grows awkward as everyone tries to think of a solution, with Rezlar eventually being the one to break it.  “Well… if the oozes are fine with attacking, and they give the fertilizer, why not focus on them?  They’re slow enough that delvers shouldn’t get overwhelmed, and even if someone does, they just don’t do damage quickly enough that they’d be in any danger before a healing slime can get to them, right?”

“But it’s not a very good fight!” complains Onyx.

“Not for stronger delvers like us, but for newer ones, it could be perfect.  And I know a lot of people are interested in the fertilizer, myself included.”

The others nod, with Freddie chiming in.  “Thedeim doesn’t put his best stuff forward right away.  You have to let the delvers build up to it.  And once your denizens get a better feel for the delvers, maybe the others will be willing to do some fighting, too, and give more variety.”

Onyx thinks that over, occasionally glancing to the side.  “I… guess?  And are people really that interested in the fertilizer?  Violet wanted to try it just to see.  I don’t think she expected there to be any demand for it.”

Rezlar nods.  “Absolutely.  I want some to help try to tame a living vine, but I’ve heard that dungeon fertilizer is amazing for growing magical herbs in.”

Rhonda nods as well, backing him up.  “Definitely!  Master Staiven says even he can grow some herbs with that kind of fertilizer.”

“People would even come down here and fight to get some?”

“Yes,” encourages Rhonda.

Onyx hums at that before smiling.  “Violet’s looking at her options for making more of it now.  She’s not going to buy them yet, but there’s a few interesting things she could try, and a lot of them involve upgrading the spawner.  It’ll be kinda weird to teach the oozes to fight, but she’s a lot more comfortable with them attacking than with using the gremlins and caiman for it.”

“I’ll feel a lot better learning from fighting the oozes than the gremlins and gators,” comments Tupul.

“Great!”  Onyx’s expression brightens even as she starts to fade back into the shadows.  “I’ll send some your way as thanks!  I’m going to try to help Violet navigate the options before we ask Teemo.  Have fun, and thanks for the advice!”

With her exit made, the group focuses on each other, considering what to do next.  “If there’s going to be a lot more oozes, it might be a good time for Tupul to practice throwing his daggers?” suggests Freddie.

“I should be able to levitate them back,” offers Rhonda.

“And with Freddie and I, we should be able to keep them at a distance long enough for Tupul to get some practice in.”

Tupul hefts a dagger, looking uncertain, but not refusing.  “It’s worth a shot, at least.  Do you guys really think I can get one of those dweller bows?”

Rezlar nods.  “Definitely.  Yvonne is back and relaxing, too, so I bet you can even get some advice from her, too, if you like.”

“Yvonne?” asks the other elf as an ooze squeezes out of the pores of the ceiling stone, landing with a gross splat not too far from the party.

Freddie nods as he and Rezlar stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking the ooze’s advance, with Fiona keeping an eye on the ceiling to ensure none plop down behind the line.  “One of Thedeim’s residents.  She’s a hawkkin and great with a bow.  It’s been a while since we delved together, but even then, she was amazing with it.”

Rhonda eagerly nods as Tupul takes careful aim with a dagger.  “And I bet she’s even better with a dweller bow!  Once we tame a vine, we should head to Larx’ and see if we can buy a bow from him, or see if he has a quest or something for you to get one, Tupul.”

He absently nods as he throws, the dagger landing on target, but hitting hilt first.  He slumps a moment in defeat, before accepting the weapon as it levitates back, thanks to Rhonda.  “At least arrows always hit sharp side first.”

Freddie snorts at that.  “I’ve seen a few throwing weapons that don’t have that problem, but they look dangerous to handle.”

“Like Berdol’s knives,” supplies Rhonda, earning another curious look form Tupul before he throws, this time landing a solid hit and making the ooze start leaking at an alarming rate.  He smiles in triumph as he accepts the dagger, and Freddie explains the weapons.

“They’re like two blades fused at the hilt, so it’s sharp all over.  He has metal affinity, though, so he doesn’t have to worry about cutting himself.”

“What about boomerangs, like Hark uses?” suggests Rezlar, keeping the leaking ooze at bay with his rapier as it quickly drains.  Unfortunately, he still doesn’t see any fertilizer yet.

“I feel like those take a lot of skill to use,” counters Tupul.  “I can barely hit with a knife, and I don’t know if I want to dedicate the time it’d take to learn something weird like a boomerang.”  He illustrates his point by missing another ooze that rounds the corner ahead of them, glad to have Rhonda to catch the dagger before it can go into the water.

"Have you thought about the class Thedeim wants to offer you?” asks Rhonda as she give him the weapon back, and he thinks as he aims.

“Some?  It sounds too good to be true, something to let me follow in my parents’ footsteps while also being able to protect them.  But if he actually has something like that…”  He throws and nicks the ooze this time, and is going to need to hit it again to get it to fail.

Rezlar chuckles at his incredulity.  “If anyone has access to a class like that, it’d be Lord Thedeim.  You’ve seen the kobold at the Hold, I’m sure, the one with the two basilisks that pull her wagon?  Her class is from Him, too.”

Tupul throws another dagger, and smiles wide as it hits the ooze dead center, splattering it along the floor.  Even better, Rezlar can see what looks like a little linen bag of black dirt among the remains.

“You actually follow him?” asks the other elf as Rezlar picks up the prize, nodding.

“I do.”

“Why?”

Rezlar considers how to answer that for a few seconds, listening to the distant squishing and splashing of what’s probably a couple more oozes approaching.  “Because I didn’t like how my life was going before He showed up.  He threw it all into chaos, but He also let me see how miserable I had been.  So… now I suppose I’m trying to learn to embrace change, instead of fearing it.”

Tupul chews on that thought as the sounds slowly get louder and louder.  Soon, even Rhonda and Freddie are hearing it, and looking nervous.  Before they can ask what the sound is, the answer becomes clear as putrid oozes swarm through the sewers toward the group.

“Retreat!” calls Freddie, manifesting his floating shields as they all start hustling backward.  Tupul bolts at first, but slows when he realizes it’s not going to be a panicked rout, but an orderly falling back.

Rezlar chuckles as he pierces a few oozes that manage to get squeezed by the throng and hurled forward, he, Fredie and Fiona holding the line as they all backpedal.  “I think Onyx needs to work on the encounter size.  Keep throwing, Tupul!  You can’t miss like this, right?”

The other elf looks at the party like they’re mad, but their calm demeanor in the face of the tide of slimes helps ease his nerves.  “R-Right!”  Their fighting retreat sees Rezlar manage to pluck several more small bags of fertilizer from the eager slimes before they’re forced out of the sewers, and he’d wager Tupul has a couple more levels under his belt now, too.

Perhaps delving Violet wasn’t a bad idea after all.