CHAPTER THREE-HUNDRED NINETY-SIX

Rezlar

He’s been in Teemo’s shortcuts before, but something about this one feels special. It might be the healing slime and handful of magmyrm following him, or Fluffles leading the way. If he’s honest with himself, it’s probably because he’s almost positive it leads to the Secret Sanctum.

How many have laid eyes on the core? Yvonne and Aranya, certainly. A Resident has the closest bond one can have with a dungeon, so of course they would have access. He’s heard rumors that Tarl has seen it, too, which would also make sense. He’s the local Inspector, and he and Lord Thedeim have a good working relationship.

Will he really be only the fourth to see it? Could he become a Resident after? Should he? He doesn’t care about the potential scandal, but it could make it harder for him to keep his position as Mayor. Even if his own father wouldn’t try to take over, some other noble might try to make a move and call him compromised.

Following Lord Thedeim is already riding the line, he’s sure.

Before he can sort out the full political ramifications of becoming a resident, he steps out of the shortcut and into the Sanctum. He looks around for a few seconds in confusion, before shaking his head at himself. The walls are rather plain worked stone, with a few mana lights scattered around to provide illumination. It looks more like a well kept basement than the heart of Lord Thedeim’s territory.

“The cathedral really is more for our benefit than his, isn’t it?” he asks the air, and nearly jumps out of his skin when he gets a reply.

“Yep. Boss is pretty simple with his decor on his own. Anything special around is probably from either Aranya or Yvonne. Or one of the labs, but those are special in a different way, heh.”

Rezlar takes a minute to calm himself, much to the amusement of Teemo and Fluffles. His inaction seems to signal to the medical denizens he’s ready to be healed, and he feels the healing slime start oozing its way up his legs to tend to the minor cuts and scratches.

“Well, how about the tour, Rezlar? Not many people get to look behind the scenes, and you’re going to be here for probably a week or so.”

The elf looks down at the slime currently engulfing him. “Uh… I think I might need a few more minutes.”

Teemo turns his attention to the slime and magmyrm. “Really guys? I mean, yeah, he’s technically hurt. But that’s not-!” He sighs as the magmyrm wave their graspers and the slime burbles, and Rezlar can’t help but snicker at the dedication of the medics.

“I think it might be quicker to just let them finish, Teemo.”

“You’re telling me. You’re lucky they let you walk all the way here before healing you, sounds like. But now they’ve started, they're not stopping until they’re done. So… how’d it go? Boss and I were watching, but even he can only tell so much from the outside.”

“...I think the build up was worse than actually doing it. Rose didn’t even need to intervene,” he comments, slowly reaching up to his pocket to rub her petals, even with the slime in the way.

Teemo nods. “Boss has a few examples of that which would take a while to explain, but he knows what you mean.”

“How about your end? Are things going well with the aftermath?” he asks before the slime envelopes his head, leaving a small passage for him to be able to breathe through.

“So far, yeah. The brambles are keeping people away from where you landed, and the shortcut is already changed, so nobody can follow. Officially, we grabbed your body because Boss is confused why you didn’t dissipate like an invader. Once someone brings up you dying, we’ll start asking about when you’ll respawn.”

Rezlar tries not to laugh at the idea of Teemo playing stupid to his father and his guild, not wanting to interfere with the slime’s job. Thankfully, his injuries really were minor, and the slime soon falls off him with a heavy splat. He takes a few moments to adjust himself, impressed his clothes aren’t damp nor discolored from being immersed like that. It’s not his first time in one of the slimes, but it’s still an interesting experience. Not one worth getting hurt just to see, but still an interesting time.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I believe I’m ready for that tour now,” he proclaims, prompting Teemo to shortcut to his shoulder.

“Well, it’s not a huge place, so it won’t take too long. In there is Queen’s Lab. She’s kinda between projects right now, but I think her next one is going to be to organize things a bit more, move the dedicated production stuff somewhere else so she has more room to experiment in, that sort of thing.” ℝ𝘢𝐍𝙤𝖇Êş

Rezlar peers into the indicated room and sees ants carpeting everything, enough that it’s difficult for him to even tell what all is in there. “She looks very busy for being between projects.”

Teemo laughs. “She’s taking a detailed stock right now and figuring what to move, where to, what to keep, and all that stuff. Across the hall here is Thing’s Lab. He’s also between projects at the moment, but I think he’s going to be diving back into the armor project once things settle back down a bit. The progress will be slower now that we have the basics, but it’s still a good thing for him to work on.”

“I hope I can see some of that armor once it’s up to Lord Thedeim’s satisfaction. I remember the tests and how well it worked against the Maw. The problem was in longevity, if I remember?”

The rat nods as Rezlar looks around the room lined with shelves, delicate enchanting equipment sitting unused for the moment. “Yeah. There’s a couple ways we might be able to go about it. Thing wants to perfect a repair enchantment, while Queen wants to try to manufacture micropockets with resin or even some metal elixir to be able to automatically repair it when they break. It’s way past my paygrade, but the Boss thinks both ideas have potential. Either way, the living area’s just through here.”

Rezlar follows Teemo’s guidance, and soon sees what looks like a modest apartment cut from the very rock, with a lot of silk to provide comfort and soften the look of the stone. “There’s the kitchen, the bathroom, this is the living area with books and stuff. That’s Aranya’s room, that one’s Yvonnes, and we dug out this one for you to use. Once we’re done, it’ll probably be for guests… heh, or for storage.”

“What if I… stayed?” the elf asks, only for Teemo to shake his head.

“Boss says no can do, at least not right now. Resident comes with a lot of strings, and they’d hinder your work as the mayor.”

Rezlar opens his mouth to suggest he could quit, but he can’t form the words. He… he actually likes being the mayor, working to help the people of Fourdock. He used to dread the responsibility, the pressure. But now… now he knows he can handle it. Now he knows he can actually make a difference, can change things for the better. From the look in Teemo’s eyes, it looks like Lord Thedeim understands that, too.

“Could I come and visit again? It’s a bit humble for a vacation home, but a noble needs to keep up appearances,” he says instead, earning a smirk from Teemo.

“I think that’d be fine, yeah. Though pretty soon the core’s going public, so it’ll be even more humble in here before long.”

“That’s fine,” Rezlar waves off the issue. “Exclusivity is its own decoration,” he declares, hamming up the pompous noble voice and earning another laugh from Teemo.

“Anyhow, you wanna see the core?”

Rezlar forces himself to not pounce on the offer, trying to keep his dignity as he nods. “Yes, please.”

“Alrighty. It’s behind that curtain there. It can be a bit bright, so we usually keep it closed to not disturb Aranya or Yvonne, even when they’re not here.”

Rezlar nods and does his best to keep his pace even as he strides toward the curtain, the silk woven far thicker than usual. As he parts it, it feels heavier with more than mere literal weight… and then he sees it.

A sphere taller than he is, set into the floor, glowing brightly orange, yet not uniformly. Currents of shades swirl through the huge orb, some lighter, some darker, some dim as shadow, others bright as the sun, others still full of twinkling pinpricks of light, like the night sky was painted orange instead of black, with the stars untouched.

As he gazes, the clouds of orange start to part, and he dimly hears Teemo saying something as he gets drawn in. He can see all of Fourdock, looking so dim at first, but slowly growing brighter and brighter. The sea around glows, the ground beneath glows, and a tendril of orange light drifts to connect with the Southwood… and clashes with something black as the void.

It’s pushed back, and the Southwood and what must be Silvervein start to glow as well, and Rezlar smiles. His gaze drifts back to Fourdock, and out in the sea beyond, he spots something that chills his blood: a tendril of that same void. He’s drawn to it and traces it back, following it through the crushing depths of the ocean, then through the heat and pressure of what must be what the dwarves call the molten abyss!

And there, he finds a pulsating tumor of void, left to fester for who knows how long? And he feels it notice him, too. Before he can do anything, the vision rushes away, leaving him back in the room with Lord Thedeim’s core, and Teemo looking down at him with worry.

Wait… down? He blinks for a few moments, trying to clear his head, and feels the stone against his back. “I fell…?” he asks, and Teemo nods.

“Yeah. Rose here slowed you enough that you’re not hurt, at least on the outside. Are you ok? Do you need the slime again?”

Rezlar shakes his head and sits up. “I’m fine, really. I… I had a vision. I saw Fourdock, and Lord Thedeim’s spreading influence… and something dark. He drove it out of Silvervein, but there’s more… so much more. I saw a line of it out at sea, and followed it down through the water, through the molten abyss, and I think I found the source.”

Teemo frowns at that, but Rezlar doesn’t let him speak yet. “And I think it saw me, too.”