Chapter Four-Hundred Sixty-Six |
Jondar
It’s times like these when he wonders if he should have invested in some kind of disguise or stealth ability. It’d be simple for him to make himself just not register to people with his affinity. But he puts the idea away, not wanting to try that treacherous path. Mental affinity has a poor reputation among people for a reason.
He shakes off the gloomy thoughts of his affinity, and instead focuses on the cheesy cobblebread before him. If Karn wants to make him wait, he can order his own. He peels off a piece and pops it into his mouth, closing his eyes in bliss. Cheese and bread are the perfect pair. He keeps his eyes closed as he grabs the hand trying to sneak its own morsel.
“Order your own, Karn.”
He doesn’t need his affinity or his eyes to feel the smirk as the orc answers. “I did. I got the sweet version.”
Jondar sighs and opens his eyes, seeing the frosted and spiced temptation beside his own cheesy plate of perfection. He releases the hand and takes a piece of the sweet cobblebread, savoring it even as Karn does the same. “It’s a good thing we can’t meet up often. Otherwise, we’d never be able to squeeze out of our guilds.”
“You might not,” the orc counters with a smirk. “I’m not called Slight for nothing.”
Jondar rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the smile, not even behind a bite of cobblebread. Not many people are willing to banter with him, and he’s honestly missed it. The casual air Thedeim cultivates in the local delvers certainly beats the suspicion and cutthroat nature of the ones around the capital.
“How’re your crafters doing with the raid loot?” he asks, leaning back and resisting the call of the baked goods. Karn sees little reason to resist, and speaks around a mouthful.
Jondar chuckles. “The same, I imagine. I might have the ones with higher level, but you have the ones with better connections.” He pops a piece of cheesy bread into his mouth and snorts, chewing for a few moments before continuing. “Though I’m not sure how long they’ll have the higher levels, with yours willing and even eager to delve on their own.”
“Threaten them with falling behind, and they’ll delve just because their pride demands it,” comments Karn, knowing exactly how to motivate the crafters. “The ratkin produce excellent metals, and with them delving now, they’re only going to increase in quantity and quality. Same for silks with the spiderkin, and enchanting with the antkin. It even looks like some of the ravenkin are taking up jeweling.”
Jondar sighs and nods. “I really should try to get in with them on the ground floor. Or canopy, I suppose.”
“Have you visited their enclave yet?”
“Once or twice, to introduce myself, but not much more than that,” Jondar admits, and Karn nods.
“Same. They’re welcoming, and have been agreeable to a few minor trades…”
“But they’re still figuring out how they’re running themselves internally, let alone how to handle outsiders,” finishes Jondar, the two taking bites of their bread to punctuate the situation. Neither is going to get too much from the ravenkin until they’re officially dwellers.
“Have you been preparing for the Betrayer?” asks Karn, and Jondar can only give a half-nod.
“As much as I can, but there’s just not much information to go on. The armorsmiths, leatherworkers, and tailors are all working on things to handle heat. And while the feathers and scales from Fluffles are good for that, there’s no way some ancient evil dungeon is going to only use magma.”
Karn nods at that. “That’s how my own are feeling, too. My adventurers are delving to get some general protective gear, but we can all feel the weight of what Thedeim has been trying to teach with his encounters.”
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Jondar glowers around a mouthful, chewing as if he can tear apart the problem as easily as the meal. “Counter what it can do, yeah. Mental affinity is definitely on the table with the Harbingers. I’ve even bothered Tarl at the Dungeoneers for what sorts of flies we can expect with shadow and fate affinity. He gave a few examples, but I think he’s holding the really nasty ones back to present to everyone for the next time Thedeim asks everyone to meet.”
Karn nods grimly around his own treat. “I’ve been in a shadow dungeon with fly spawns before. Definitely not one I’d recommend.”
Jondar starts to nod, then freezes as he connects a few dots that he really doesn’t want to.
“What?” asks Karn, his tone and pose still casual, but Jondar can feel his mind sharpen like a dagger, ready for danger.
“Dangerous dungeon tricks,” Jondar replies. “Not just affinities. What’s the biggest danger in strong dungeons? The one that Thedeim just recently revealed a counter for?”
Karn’s eyes widen as he puts it together. “You think it’ll have lifedrinking?”
“I hope not,” Jondar admits. “But I wouldn’t be surprised. With the intent behind those mental attacks, it’s just the kind of thing a dungeon with Harbingers would use.”
The two pop a few more bits of bread into their mouths, chewing over what they should do as they chew the tasty treats. “I should try to get friendlier with the antkin then,” comments Jondar, and Karn chuckles his agreement.
“They really like stuff from Hullbreak and Violet, and I bet materials from the Southwood would do even better.”
Jondar rubs his chin as he considers that. His adventurers don’t care for the Southwood or Violet, as they prefer things closer to their combat level. Still, a good quest reward and the potential for gear to negate lifedrinking should win out over their pride as adventurers.
“I’ll post some quests once I get back, then. Have you gotten much of the composite armor?” he asks.
“A bit, but I think Thedeim might be holding back on the drops for it, wanting to give it more to his dwellers.”
Jondar grunts at that. It’s natural for him to prioritize his dwellers, but he’d love to get a set of it, too. “Do you think he’d let more drop if we help outfit the dwellers?”
“If you actually have anything for them that’s better than what he or they can already provide, sure,” snarks Karn with a smirk.
“What about training?”
This time, the orc looks thoughtful. “That could work. He’s mostly been letting them learn on their own, but I don’t think he’d mind if they got some help.”
“But how do we teach them? I’ve suggested to a few of the tarantulakin to join my guild, but they all declined.”
“Yeah, I’ve tried with a few of the ratkin and the smaller spiderkin, too. No luck.”
They both think as they idly reach for more bread, only to find the plates empty. “...we could try bribing them with food?” Jondar jokes before leaning back and thinking. Would they benefit from some training by seasoned adventurers in the first place? He might be biased, but he thinks so. A good home-grown style can catch people off guard, but the established techniques are established for a reason.
Maybe some kind of competition, to show them what they’re missing out on? For that, he’d need to beat them handily, and though he’s confident in his adventurers winning, he’s not sure about the margins. Squeaking out wins would suggest the dwellers just need to try a bit harder, get a few more levels. Stomping on them could hurt their pride and make them turn away. And if it’s roughly even, they wouldn’t see the point in cross training.
Hmm. If his own adventurers could gain from it, too…
“We should talk with the priestess kobold.”
Karn raises an eyebrow at him. “Oh? You have an idea?”
Jondar nods. “Yeah. I was thinking a competition between our guilds and the dwellers, but that could get messy depending on how it goes. But if we do a competition of mixed groups…”
Karn smiles at the idea. “They’d have to work together, and they’ll see the benefit in it. I don’t think it’ll be hard to convince Aranya to help us set up something like that. Cooperation is a big thing she preaches. Competition for what, though?”
Jondar considers for a few more moments before smiling. “Unlocking and beating the next raid boss. The loot from the first one has been incredible. If we can get more, the crafters can make better gear, and we’ll be even more prepared for the Betrayer.”
The thin orc grins and stands. “That’ll get them motivated! The adventurers, too!”
Jondar grins and stands as well. “And me! That raid was the best fight I’ve had in a long time. I can’t wait to see what Thedeim pulls out to top it!”
They gather their plates and return them, before talking about which scion they want to see in the canopy next. Rocky is a solid contender, but he already has his arena. Karn wants to see Poe, already imagining the kinds of crazy things he might be able to do with all the birds Thedeim has to offer. Jondar is personally hoping for Titania. He’s heard a lot of tales about fey and the tricks they can pull. How much more crazy can those tricks become with a dungeon like Thedeim backing them?
