Is it Christmas morning? Because it feels like Christmas morning. I don’t see any presents, but I can still feel that kind of tension in the air. I even make sure things are going smoothly for the two big potential problems, in case I’m reading this energy in the air wrong.

The scythemaws are… well, as behaved as I can hope for, really. There’s definitely some magic involved in their reproduction, because I can see the ladies are full of eggs. The males will probably get even more territorial once they get ready to lay. They’re looking a bit skinnier, so that raises my hopes that they’ll finish with their stuff soon and go back to the water.

Leo and the FOB are also doing as well as can be hoped. The spies are still slowly spreading out, and fresh spies have stopped flowing in. Leo found what seems to be a big hollow under some kind of bramble, maybe wild berries of some kind? It’s too late in the year for any to still be there, if there were any in the first case. Either way, though, he has a nice spot to hide and direct the efforts against Hullbreak. I’ll probably send Coda and a few ratlings to help expand it soon.

But neither of those are the source of what I’m feeling. I’m starting to think it’s just in my head, but then I feel some familiar feet enter the main gate that draws my attention like a magnet. It’s the kids! Man, they haven’t been back in… like a month? Not since the scythemaws showed up, or so.

They’re both looking good, looking healthy. Their spiders are also looking healthy and alert, too, which is also a good sign. The slightly-less good sign is how uncertain the kids look. They’re trying to look determined, but I’ve seen them in here enough times to know when they’re actually confident.

“Uh… Thedeim? Can we talk?” speaks up Freddie, and I’d nod if I could. But I can’t, so I settle for sending Teemo to see what the kids need. He’s still helping Jello look for a mole and/or gremlin to join us, but they still haven’t managed one. They both feel like they’re on the right track, though, so that’s good. Teemo bids my favorite big blob of jelly farewell, and it’s only a minute or two for him to pop out of a shortcut near the kids.

“Ah, hey you two! What’s up?” he asks, happy to see them.

The kids look happy to see him, too, but their smiles don’t stick around too long under the weight of whatever it is they want to talk about. They exchange glances a couple times, and I can practically see them hot potatoing whatever the subject is, neither really wanting to be the one to start the conversation. Freddie eventually accepts the duty, and looks at my Voice.

“...Can you help us get our classes?”

What?

“What?” echoes my Voice, just as confused at the question as I am. “Shouldn’t you be asking Staiven and Torlon about that?”

The two exchange looks again, and Rhonda speaks up this time. “Well… we have, but they said that’s not how it works.”

“How does it work?”

The kids shrug. “I dunno,” they both say in unison, before Freddie elaborates. “But we’re both pretty sure we’re ready. I’ve taken the oaths, Rhonda has been able to cast a lot of things… but there’s still something missing. We think it’s something we have to figure out on our own, and our best guess is to ask you.”

Ask me? Why? Hmm… is it a dungeon thing, or a me thing? Either way, I’m pretty sure that weird feeling is from these two, and I like the kids, so of course I’ll try to help. But… how do I help them get classes? Is it similar to how my scions get titles? Seems as good a place to start as any. I need something magic for Rhonda, and something uh… paladin-y for Freddie. Three. Yeah, three for each feels right, too. Thing, Queen, and Rocky for Rhonda… but who for Freddie? I’ve been trying to stay as far away as possible from the kind of stuff that might help Freddie. I could just throw him at the crypt complex? I think that would work, but I also know I can do better.

Well, I do have three people who are experts in that kind of thing, though I’ll need to have Teemo ask them. Vernew, the small spiderkin mistress of the hunt; Larx, the ratkin elder; and Aranya, my own personal High Priestess. I don’t think any of them know the specifics of how the Shield does things, but I don’t get the feeling they’d mess anything up between Freddie and his god.

Yeah, I think I can make this work. I’ll just need to…

Rhonda

The young goblin can only wait as the Voice seems to be listening to Thedeim, trying desperately to not lean closer in excitement… or nervousness. Anxiety? Oh, this sounded like a much better idea back at the shop. But now that they’re all here, her thoughts and emotions feel so jumbled up! She feels her friend’s hand on her shoulder, though, and feels her confidence returning. Freddie thinks it’s a good idea, too. It’s difficult to get too worked up over something with him around.

Teemo chuckles at the two. “Well, sounds like the Boss is willing to help, and he’s sounding pretty inspired about it, too.”

“Is that good?” she asks, her natural curiosity spilling out before she can contain it. The Voice just grins at her.

“It’s not bad, but the Boss’s weirdest stuff tends to happen when he’s inspired. You two sure you want this? Last time you tried something like this, you both ended up with spiders,” he points out.

Rhonda and Freddie meet eyes, then meet the eyes of their spiders, and they smile. “Yeah,” says Rhonda. “We want this. Lucas and Fiona have been wonderful. I think if Thedeim has more tricks like them up his sleeve, we’ll be just fine.”

Freddie nods, then gives a small smirk. “He’s not planning on giving us more spiders though, is he? I’m not sure either of us has room.”

Teemo laughs and shakes his head. “No spiders to bring along, no, but your first challenge will involve one. Well, if she agrees, at least.”

The pair looks confused at that. “First challenge?” asks Rhonda, starting to wonder if their big mouths have gotten them in deeper than they had thought.

“Three challenges, yeah. I’ll be back in a couple minutes. I need to go ask Vernew if she’s up for this.” Before they can raise any objections, the Voice vanishes down one of his countless shortcuts, leaving them on their own on the lawn.

Lucas peers over the edge of Rhonda’s hat at her, and she smiles and holds her hands out for him to jump into. “Yes, I meant what I said about you.”

Fiona chitters as she peers over Freddie’s shoulder, and he smiles and gently pats her. “Of course I feel the same, Fiona. I didn’t come in here expecting to make a new friend, but that’s what happened.”

Lucas chitters and the young goblin laughs. “No, I don’t think you’ll be getting company on my hat. That’d be too heavy, for starters!”

“And neither of us are trained to become Tamers or anything like that,” points out Freddie. “Still… I wonder what Thedeim will have in store for us.”

Rhonda nods, looking off into the distance as she tries to guess what the dungeon is thinking. “I dunno… boss fights?”

Her orc friend shrugs. “Maybe, but that sounds a bit too simple. Teemo sounded like Thedeim has ideas. From a different dungeon, I’d be concerned.”

“I’m still concerned, but more because I don’t have any idea what he might do!” half-jokes Rhonda. The four decide to lounge on the grass as they wait for the Voice to return, and he eventually does.

“Alright, that should be ready.” The kids stand, and the spiders resume their perches as Teemo clears his throat. “Thedeim has decreed you shall face three challenges to obtain your classes. The first of which is this: capture or otherwise subdue Vernew, the spiderkin mistress of the hunt. You must do so without harming Queen, who will be aiding her. Do this, and your first challenge will be complete. So says the Voice of Thedeim.”

Rhonda suppresses a shudder as she feels powerful magic settle over her, and from Freddie’s reaction, he can feel the same. She’d wager their spiders can feel it, too. “So… how do we do that?” she asks, and Teemo just grins.

“That’s for you to figure out! Don't be too worried, though. Vernew has her own rules she has to follow for this, one of which is that the deep tunnels are off-limits. Those scythemaws are way too dangerous for you to go in there.”

The kids nod at that, and he continues. “And that’s about all. Go track her down, but don’t expect it to be simple. The rest of Thedeim is open to you and the denizens will encounter you as usual. And good luck. Vernew won’t take it easy on you, heh.”