Peek: From the Shadows

There's so much... everything! Vanta's first moments may have been of terror, but after securing his core, things have gotten much more interesting and less scary. It helps, he thinks, to have a lot of things to rely on. That was one of the first things he learned, even before he met his mentor, Southwood. There's a lot out there, so it takes a lot to keep it at bay.

He also learned there are some out there who are friendly. The rat guided him to safety while dealing with the beetles, with the large outsiders helping as they could. The delvers are interesting. He wishes more would come visit.

He understands why they don't though. He doesn't have a lot of room for them yet. He thinks they should swarm in more than just groups of three, but he has to admit he would have trouble accommodating even a swarm of swarms of delvers.

Only one delver tends to come alone, and it's the one with the matching affinity. Vanta likes to try to play with him, sending his swarms and even using a new darkness trap he's very fond of. He plays some, but he doesn't stay for too long. Vanta would get lonely is not for the Stag.

Vanta's instincts still sometimes recoil at the Stag and his light affinity, but the wise scion is always understanding of his questions and happy to help him learn. Vanta has even tried to send some of his worms out to explore outside, wanting to see the hives of the delvers and how they spawn. He hadn't gotten very far just yet, but even learning about the rock nearby is something new.

His automatons register the sound of hooves in the tunnel, and so Vanta calls them back to mill around the holes for now. He wants to try to use the holes for something eventually, maybe even make more of them. For now, he has his mentor coming, and he has questions!

The stag enters his domain, and the automatons clamor around his hooves before he lays down, where they eagerly climb over his back. "Hello Vanta. You seem to be doing well."

Vanta's worm scion emerges from the earth before the Stag, looking so tiny compared, and yet the Stag gives it a warm smile. "Ah, he is. Good. I take it he has yet more questions?" He chuckles in good humor before listening. "Hmm... the delvers? He wants to know more about them? He knows they disturb the mana, giving us the energy we need and making it easier to get the stagnant moving. What else does he want to know? How they spawn?" He gives the worm a curious look as Vanta practically radiates with curiosity.

"The process is very complex, often taking two or more decades to produce an adult. They don't simply spawn like your denizens or scions. They are born and grow."

Vanta has so many questions about that, and though his worm tries, it's still not a Voice. The Stag does well enough to pick up his intentions, at least, and shakes his head. "It doesn't take them decades to respawn. They don't respawn at all. Once a delver is gone, they don't come back."

Don't come back? At least that question is simple enough for the Stag to answer directly.

"Correct. That's why they're so careful, and why they're so interested in how you develop. We gain much from delvers, and they gain much from us. My Lord Southwood prefers to live in symbiosis with them, providing valuable nodes in return for their mana. Lord Thedeim also achieves symbiosis, but in a different way. He challenges them with combat, honing their skill like young wolves at play. It's riskier than my Lord Southwood's method, but Lord Thedeim takes immense precautions to ensure they are not harmed too badly."

Vanta only half pays attention to the explanation, still stuck on the idea of delvers not respawning. When the delvers play and kill his swarms, it's fun because the swarms come back. Imagining a swarm that doesn't come back is... difficult, and makes him feel bad.

The Stag smiles at the worm as he picks up on Vanta's mood. "Indeed. That's why my Lord Southwood eschews violence. Killing a delver gains a lot of mana... but I think the world is diminished for it."

Vanta is still trying to process the idea, and even sends an automaton outside his borders, trying to comprehend what it would be like to never have it back. The little denizen can feel his distress and quickly returns as the Stag speaks up once more.

"There's no need to try to force yourself yet, young Vanta. Much older dungeons than you never comprehend it. Still, I think it's a good sign that you don't like the idea. Delvers are naturally suspicious of dungeons, as many treat them no different than invaders. For now, understanding there is a difference is enough."

Vanta still feels unhappy about the idea of delvers not respawning, but he tries to listen to his mentor and not worry too much about it right now. He can't help but spawn another swarm of both worms and automatons, though, and lets them mill around.

He likes having a lot of things around. Maybe once he gets older, he'll be able to have a lot of delvers around, too. His denizens are nice, and he'd hate to actually lose any of them, but having delvers is more fun. He settles in to think about why they're more fun as the Stag watches, a content smile on his face as he lets the young dungeon chew on the puzzle like a young fawn with some bark. Sometimes, being a mentor is giving answers, and sometimes it's letting someone figure out the answer with a little guidance.