Teemo’s off making more shortcuts, and catching up with the other scions. He’s understandably confused when he meets Rocky.

“Uh… Boss? What’s with the zombie scion?” I chuckle to myself. He’s a boxer! Which is a kind of martial artist that specializes in punches. The gloves are to help them not kill each other when they fight. I want him to be my first actual fighting scion. I named him Rocky because I expect he’s going to be knocked down and get back up a lot.

Teemo just gives the zombie a weird look as it chews on its wooden mouth guard. “Well… he calls you Coach.” Hah, that’s great. Is he happy with what I’ve been having him do?

My Voice nods. “Yeah, he seems to enjoy it. He seems a bit more on the ball than I’d expect a zombie to be. I mean, he’s about on the same mental level as Jello, but zombies and slimes aren’t really known for thinking, Boss.” Glad he’s enjoying it. Maybe it’s my weird thinking that’s making them have to adjust? Who knows.

Teemo continues on his way, and Rocky continues to practice his punches and footwork. He’s still pretty awkward, but I’m not disappointed. He still hasn’t gotten a title for being a boxer yet, so I can hardly expect him to be in top form. The other scions all seem to react similarly to Teemo being my Voice. They chat, and I can only get impressions of what they’re saying, though Teemo can translate. They all want to know if they’re doing well, and I assure them they are. I ask if they like their roles, and they all do. Coda is especially happy to be working in the mines, too. He was worried I had forgotten or abandoned him, so he’s glad to be able to contribute. He’s also apparently started calling me The Foreman, which is kinda cool.

Eventually, morning rolls around, and Aranya returns to her bed near the core, and I ask Teemo to go hang out with her like promised. She starts off laying on the worshipfulness pretty thick, but Teemo’s pretty quick to shut that down. She’s my High Priestess, she doesn’t need to bow and scrape. Not that I want anyone else to, but if I’m supposed to be in charge, I get to decide how my direct underlings act towards me.

She asks about the mysteries of creation, of my grand plans for the world, that sort of thing. Teemo’s a bit too happy to burst her bubble about that, but I did ask him to help keep me grounded. He tells her I don’t know any mysteries of creation, which I kinda do, but only in laws of physics that may or may not still apply. He tells her I don’t have any grand plans, which I don’t. The closest thing I have to a plan is that I want to get the tunnels and crypt complex in better shape, then probably expand downward again. There’s a lot of connecting tunnels, so there shouldn’t be another earthquake… I hope.

She asks about me, and I’m honestly not sure what to tell her. She asks why I saved her, which is at least easier to answer. She was in trouble, so I helped. She asks about the delvers and why I treat them like I do, which leads to a technical discussion about mana income, and some basics of economics and psychology, and her recollections of the legends of her people. Teemo is looking a bit overwhelmed by some of it, and when Aranya interrupts herself with a big yawn, I tell Teemo to go ahead and tell her to sleep. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about stuff.

I’m glad Teemo and the other scions don’t seem to need to actually sleep… nor do my denizens, which is convenient. Sure, they sometimes do anyway, but that’s more them not having anything to do, rather than an actual need.

While I just let my attention wander, I feel a familiar pair of feet at my manor gate. Hey Teemo. Elf Guy’s here. The rat perks up at that, and grins. Now, be nice, Teemo. Or… at least don’t be mean. I like him, but that mostly means I’m comfortable ribbing him some, heh. Looks like he’s not talking into a rock either. Maybe he’s here on a normal delve?

While I muse, Teemo moves. I even get an idea, and tell the rafters aranea to prepare a special quest for Tarl. He looks almost relaxed, yet eager at the same time, as he approaches the porch, though he looks a bit confused at the rough wooden sign hanging near the bulletin board. His confusion only peaks when he hears a voice.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t the only delver I’ve ever attacked. Hello Elf Guy,” says Teemo, hidden under the boards of the porch. Tarl has his dagger out in a flash, and is looking around. Looks like Teemo has gotten better at hiding, because it doesn’t look like Tarl knows where he is.

“Who’s there?! Are you one of the Ratkin?” he demands, his eyes darting around. Probably should dial it back a little, Teemo. I get the feeling he’s had some bad experiences with dungeons surprising him. My rat scion actually giggles before speaking again.

“Settle down, Elf Guy. I only took one of your hp anyway. A small price to pay to remember to make sure the encounter is over before looting, right?” Tarl looks more confused, before he puts together who’s talking. His sharp look quickly falls flat. He keeps looking around, but there’s a lot less urgency to it now.

“Ah… the rat scion. I probably shouldn’t be surprised you’re the Voice.” With a laugh, Teemo hops up on the porch railing, letting the elf get a good look at him. “Probably the most practical choice, really,” says the delver, peering at my rat. “I doubt there’s anywhere in the dungeon you can’t quickly get to. And you’d get people to drop their guard… or at least get fools to drop their guard.” He straightens himself and sheaths his dagger.

“I’m here as an ordinary delver, dungeon,” he starts, only for Teemo to interrupt.

“Thedeim.”

“What?”

“That’s the Boss’ name. Thedeim.”

Tarl’s eyes widen at that. “It’s already chosen a name for itself?”

“Himself, and yeah.”

The elven delver absently reaches into his pocket, before remembering he doesn’t have his little note rock, and shakes his head to clear it. “Right, normal delver. On vacation, not on a quest…” he says almost to himself, then focuses on Teemo again. “Does the dun- er Thedeim have anything he wishes to say?”

Teemo simply smiles and nods at the rough wooden sign. “He thinks you might like that quest.”

Fight Rocky

“Who’s Rocky?”

Teemo laughs again. “Go to the central mausoleum in the graveyard. He’ll meet you there.” With that, my Voice vanishes down a shortcut, leaving Tarl to try to decide what to do. I’m pretty sure he’ll go do it. I haven’t done anything to actually harm him before. Tiny has beaten him in the maze, but that’s about it. With a sigh, he nods, though he doesn’t immediately head for the graveyard. Instead, he heads around back to gather a few herbs, and once he notices the garden in the belfry has been upgraded, he enjoys himself through the house and the boss fight to get to the roof, to look at what’s up there, too.

He gathers a few clippings, but he doesn't seem interested in getting a full plant for himself. I imagine he’s probably traveling most of the time, so he can’t exactly keep his house plants watered. I wonder if he makes potions, or maybe even poisons. Either way, he’s taking his time and enjoying a delve, and I’m enjoying the mana. I can throw my strongest stuff at him in small numbers, and keep him busy enough to have fun, but not in any real danger of being overwhelmed. I feel like I’m a thrill park, but you stab the attractions, instead of riding them around whipping corners and massive drops.

I’m not worried about him taking his time, though. It gives Rocky time to get into position, and to practice his ducking and weaving some more. Eventually, though, Tarl walks into the mausoleum, and Rocky spots him. My zombie stops chewing on his mouth guard and instead slots it between his rotten teeth like he’s supposed to. He hits his gloves together and does a few jabs to declare his intention, and Tarl just looks confused.

“A zombie scion? What did you… you actually want me to fight it?” Teemo’s not there, but Tarl is smart, he can figure it out. After a few moments, he shrugs, and draws his blade. “Alright. Let’s see what weirdness you’ve come up with this time.”

He approaches slowly, and Rocky keeps his attention on him. He’s got his dukes up as proper as I can tell, but this’ll be the first real test of not only how well boxing theory translates into boxing practice, but also how well Rocky can actually work in this role. Tarl is wary. He doesn’t know what kind of fighting style Rocky is using, and he’s been in enough fights to know a new style can really throw you for a loop. He tries a simple slash, which Rocky jukes to the side to avoid, and counters with a decent body blow.

Tarl takes the shot with a grunt and backs off, but Rocky quickly moves forward. Atta boy, Rocky! Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Of course, Tarl is way more agile than my boxer, so he gets away, but it takes a bit more effort than he seems to have expected.

“How’s a zombie move like that?!” he grumbles before moving back in. The two exchange blows, and I can see the flaws in Rocky’s defense, though I’m confident it’ll work well enough with practice. He can handle slices on his arms as he protects his body, and his counters are nice and quick. It’s almost like the boxing stance is a time-tested way to fight.

Tarl backs up again, sporting a few bruises now, and Rocky has some decent cuts and stabs. “Did you actually make a zombie monk? He’s good in melee, but how’s he handle ranged? Windblade!” Rocky ducks to the side, and weaves to the other to avoid a second. Then he grunts with an uppercut, and a line of embers trails behind his gloved fist, blocking the third windblade.

“With flame affinity?” Uh yeah, I’m with Tarl here. Where’d you get flame affinity, Rocky? No, you’re not in trouble, I’m just surprised. Maybe I can start thinking a bit more Street Fighter than Eye of the Tiger.

“Shadow Blade!” Rocky hunkers down, protecting himself as best he can, but I think all three of us knew who was going to be winning this fight from the start. Ya done good, Rock. That’s just round one. Take a breather and we’ll work on how the fight went once you respawn.

Tarl is looking pretty pleased with himself. I wonder how much xp he got from that? “Your first boss scion? I’d have never expected something like this… which I probably should have expected from you. I’ll be done with my vacation next week, and then it’ll be time for another inspection, I think. The guild still needs to make official contact with your dwellers, too.”

He heads for the cemetery exit, and even nods at Grim as he spots him, then pauses before leaving. “Keep surprising me, Thedeim. I had a good feeling about you from the start.”