Chapter Two-Hundred Twelve
I watch my scions share some knowledge with the Stag, and its an interesting experience. I can feel Rocky latching onto wavelengths and the fact that infrared is thermal. Its pretty cool watching the Stag gain the fire affinity, and funny to feel the Southwoods reaction to it.
I think he was expecting it to take a lot longer, but Rocky isnt an Affinity Savant for nothing. From what the Stag was saying, it also helped that hes so experienced with his light affinity. I also dont doubt Rocky will figure out light if he wants it next. He can already change the pitch of his sounds, so he knows how to adjust wavelengths. He just needs to figure out which part of fire to stretch to do it.
I think he wants lightning first, though. Hes managed to convince Fluffles to sling a lot of electricity as they start sparring. Whether hell learn it before he has to go, I dunno, but I let them all have their fun.
I check in on Leo and Honey, and the two are already hip deep in organizing the denizens to come home, and organizing the ones they brought to fill in the gaps. Theyll probably want a day or two to debrief everyone, and not even Rocky will be able to avoid a proper debriefing, once hes had his fun sparring.
Teemo is hanging out with the delvers, and they all seem in pretty good spirits. A lot of them have never been here before, and Yvonne, Aelara, and Ragnar are having to herd cats to try to keep everyone on the same page. Theyve already sent a few of the more ranger-y ones out to scout the clearing and the hole. Most of the adventurers are happy for now to do some low-effort delving and resupplying, and the Southwood is more than happy to let them.
All of that leaves me with very little to do in the Southwood right now, so I give my new ally an encouraging pat on the bond before turning my attention back to my own territory.
Coda hasnt been resting on his laurels while everyone is on a road trip, and has managed to get a lot of progress done on the entrance to the lava labyrinth. With the first floor of the lighthouse finished, and the masons over there having more of an understanding of what Coda needs them to do, hes had to oversee them less and less, letting him oversee my ratlings more and more as they carve and work the entrance.
The stalls and other structures were easy enough for them to build, and Coda has even wrangled a few rockslides, magmyrm, wyrms, and even a basilisk to help. The slides arent the strongest in their earth affinity, but they still make it so much easier to properly fix the supports of the buildings into the cavern. My more fiery denizens are working on the more aesthetic aspects, including the wyrm mouth for the entrance.
She has two clawed gauntlets now, and is slowly prowling around, instead of taking a defensive position like the other scions. She notices me, or Violet does and she gives her some direction. Either way, the shadowy gremlin points out the swirling mana in Violets domain.
Ive never seen that before. At first glance, its just a huge mess. I can feel Violet getting a lot of mana from it, but I dont know why the flow is suddenly acting so weird! I take a few moments to focus and pay more attention, and start noticing little patterns. Its not just one big mess but a lot of smaller ones. Taking a step back, its easier to see, and I suddenly realize whats happening.
I bring my attention back into focus and try to figure out whats the best way to put it to Violet. Firstly, I try to get her to calm down, to impress on her that shes not in any danger. Sure, its a surprise, but its also one we probably should have seen coming. I also start shunting the mana shes getting into the alliance pool for now. I dont know if dungeons can get sick from too much mana, but Id rather be safe than sorry.
Me taking action seems to calm her a bit, so I draw her attention to the cause of the sudden increase of mana: the scythemaw nests. More specifically, the scythemaw eggs. Even more specifically, the hatching scythemaw eggs.
Onyx scratches at the surface of one of the nests before Violet tells her to stop, and I suggest sending Nose to poke in and get a better look. I watch the mana flows as some of the eggs start wiggling and moving more, and Violets panic shifts to an intense curiosity. I cant really explain the complex process of hatching and how it differs from spawning, partially because I dont really understand too much about how spawning works.
Thankfully, I dont need to try to figure out how to explain the birds and the bees, as one of the leathery eggs sprouts a gash. Violet is alarmed at that for a moment, before the first scythemaw baby pokes its little head out.
Oh no. Theyre adorable. While most mammal babies look a bit underdone at birth, and a lot of birds look like nightmares, most reptiles and amphibians look all shiny and adorable, and it seems like scythemaws are no exception. The baby looks just like a baby alligator, with stubby little mandibles poking from its cheeks.
Im not sure Ive ever missed having hands more than I do right now. I just want to pick it up and hold it and pet it and call it George. Violet seems curious about them, and my own feelings on the matter seem to have convinced her everything is fine, even if she doesnt share my opinion on how cute the things are.
She nudges me with a bit of concern, and reminds me that I cant just sit here and squee at the things all day. No matter how cute, we have a pile of newborn apex predators to deal with. I dont think theyll be dangerous on their own, but if we want to keep the local scythemaw population stable, we should probably try to figure out how to get them to the water.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
