Call me paranoid, but I don’t like the fact that there’s a graveyard dungeon on the other side of town, and I’ve just gotten my first undead invader. This math is adding up in ways I don’t appreciate, but I guess it’s better than it not adding up at all.

Just in case, though, I should probably check my math. I tell Teemo to come collect the thing, once I’m satisfied Jello is done chewing on it. Aranya and the kids have a bit of story time while that happens, too. I’m bad with names and dates, though, so I mostly just pay attention to see if there’s anything to give me more detail.

There’s… not. It’s an interesting look into kobold society, though, and the kids are enjoying it. Before they can ask much about kobold history after the collapse, though, Teemo comes back in and plops the skeletal hand down near the map.

Aranya just looks disgusted, which is fair. A skeletal hand covered in Jello’s jello isn’t the kind of thing to parade around. Rhonda looks confused as to why the dungeon would bring a hand to them. Freddie, though, stares at the recently deanimated appendage.

“That was undead,” he says with the certainty of someone who’s seen pictures and heard lectures on this kind of thing. The other two immediately look more concerned, and Freddie leans down to get a closer look. “I’ve never been to Neverrest, but it’s supposed to be crawling with undead. There might be some from other sources deeper in the tunnels, but… I think that other dungeon sent this.”

Well, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that, but sounds like it has. I’m gonna need to increase the defense budget, looks like. The other dungeon probably felt the quake, and has been sending expeditions into the tunnels to try to find me. I dunno if it has airborn stuff like I do to make expeditions, but I doubt the townsfolk would ignore zombies and skeletons like they do bats and birds.

Rhonda looks to Freddie. “Should we go tell the guild, then? I know they’ve been watching this dungeon closely, and have warned people to stay away from Neverrest. This seems like something they should know about.”

Freddie nods. “Yeah, I don’t think their inspector has been back in after he tried the maze.”

It seems it’s Aranya’s turn to be confused. “Guild? There are surface people who monitor Sanctuaries?” The two kids nod.

“Yeah, the Dungeoneer’s Guild,” replies Rhonda. “They keep track of dungeons and what’s going on with them. They were worried this one had gone murderous, and nobody wanted that. Neverrest is enough of that for one town.”

“Can you take me to them? All I know of Sanctuaries is from legends. If I’m going to help this one, I’ll need the knowledge to do it properly.” Aw, I didn’t know you cared, Aranya.

“Can you leave?” asks Freddie. I’m glad he asked, because I don’t know that, either. I’m also glad that it implies that the biggest hurdle isn’t how the people will react. Makes sense, I guess. I’ve seen all sorts of fantasy races come through here. Probably also explains why the delvers didn’t think she was another encounter.

“I can sojourn, yes. The denizens do, so I can do the same.” Neat. Well, I consider this quest complete, and spend a bit of mana to finish it. I don’t gain any for it, but with all the new info and connections, I think it’s well worth it.

With the meeting pretty much over, I have Teemo and Fluffles gather the map and vanish down a trail to get back to the secret base. I trust the kids, but it’s a need to know kind of thing, and they just don’t need to know. Freddie pulls out a rag that I think he uses to polish his shield, and picks up the hand to give as proof to the guild, and they all head for the surface and the gate.

Interestingly, when Aranya leaves, it doesn’t list her as on an expedition, but on a sojourn, just like she said. Well, while they do that, I should focus on the home front. Delvers are here, and they don’t know about the plot thickening down in the tunnels. Speaking of the tunnels, that should probably be my next order of business.

I’ve been mostly sending expeditions on the surface, but I should probably do similar underground, too. I get various groups of bats, rats, and spiders to head out on expeditions down there, along with some healing ants to hitch a ride and provide support as needed. I pay special attention to the tunnel the hand came from, and make sure Jello stays blocking it up. She’s happy with that. There’s been all sorts of things to eat coming from there anyway.

Without knowing what else to do, I basically just start upgrading my various spawners. The spider spawner quickly takes over the little cavern it was moved to, so the little camouflage flap blends in even better. It’s started spawning widows, too, which look plain mean. I order them around to the various tunnels to make sure nothing can sneak in, and to be able to provide support if something tries.

The rat spawner is starting to take over the basement, too, and has spawned a ratling, apparently. It looks like a rat developed a hunch and started walking around on two legs. I can still give it orders, but I can definitely feel it’s smarter than anything else I’ve spawned. Well, except the Scions, but they’re special.

Oh, I’ve also designated a Warehouse. If I’m going to potentially be at war with another dungeon, I’m going to need a place to store stuff. And an Armory. I think only the ratling and Aranya could actually use it right now, but better to be prepared. The ratling put Aranya’s copper bar in the Warehouse, and then started making trips up to the maze to gather some wood, too.

It feels kinda weird to gather my own resources, but I make sure the ratling takes it slow with that. I still want most of it to be gathered by the Delvers so I can get mana.

I upgrade the snek spawner a few times, but nothing new has popped out yet. The vipers are looking bigger and badder, but I don’t know how they’ll fare against undead. I was hoping for constrictors or maybe even quatals, but no big nor winged noodles for me yet.

After an upgrade, the ant hill started occasionally spitting out fire ants, and Queen was all over snagging those to help with her alchemy. They really are fire elemental, which is good. Undead don’t tend to like fire, if videogames are anything to go by.

I don’t upgrade my birds nor bats yet, mostly because I don’t have the mana for it, but also I don’t know what I’d do with them. The surface and tunnels are pretty full with denizens, too. I think I’ll have to actually take that upward expansion before I do much more with the avians. Maybe I’ll be able to build a tower or something once I get some more ratlings. I note in the alchemy stuff for Queen to analyze the mortar between the bricks to see if we can make some of our own. No rush on it, though.

Meanwhile

Aranya walks with the two defilers, no delvers, she has to remind herself. They’re not defiling the Sanctuary, especially if it specifically asks them for help. She supposes the other defilers should count as delvers, too. It seems strange to her that it allows them to simply pillage like they do, but the Sanctuary must have some kind of plan.

That’s just one of the many mysteries that guided her to sojourn to this guild. The legends certainly have information, but certain details have faded over time. If this guild has more current answers, she needs them.

She looks at the two children, thinking her Sanctuary has odd choice in help. Why these two? “Why spiders…” she asks herself, though the two hear her and exchange a look. She probably didn’t mean to actually ask, but telling the story would at least kill the awkward silence. It’s not worth any xp, but it’d still be nice to be rid of it. Rhonda speaks up first, as it was technically her idea to go get a spider.

“Well… I had just gotten apprenticed to Old Staiven, one of the local mages, and he told me to go get a familiar. But I didn’t know what kind of familiar to get.” Freddie chuckles and inserts his two copper.

“Something normal like a cat or something was too boring, I guess.” Rhonda sticks her tongue out at him.

“I’m allergic to cats,” she says matter-of-factly, before continuing the tale. “Anyway, after thinking on it, I thought of our first adventure into the dungeon and all the spiders around. I just… like spiders, I guess, so I decided to try to get one.”

Freddie laughs. “I think you wanted a spider just to mess with me. I used to be afraid of them,” he explains to the red kobold. “Too many legs, too many eyes, venom. But…” he trails off, letting Rhonda continue the story.

“Anyway, we went and captured a few mice in a bucket, and some of the roaches, too, and tried to find a spider for me to make my familiar. Only we didn’t think about all the different spiders the dungeon would have.”

“Rhonda wanted a jumping spider like Lucas there, and I just wanted to be done, heh. So we followed a couple into the kitchen, and she started enticing one with a mouse. Only while we were both looking at the jumping spiders, there were net spiders on the ceiling.”

Rhonda giggles at the memory. “We didn’t know to look up at the time, so they just kept slowly plucking mice out of the bucket while we were distracted. And I guess that counted as feeding them, because Freddie tamed one without even knowing it was there!”

Freddie smiles at the memory, too. “Yeah, I about jumped out of my skin when I saw Fiona here on the bucket, happily munching away. In the end, though, we still had enough for Rhonda to take Lucas home, and I got over my fears and gained a great friend,” he says, smiling at the spider with the huge eyes beside him.

She clearly wants to ask more, but they round a corner and the kids point at a building that looks very similar to the other various ones around, though it has a different sign on it. Aranya squints at the sign, resolving to somehow learn to read. With her Sanctuary apparently able to communicate in writing, she’s going to need to learn to continue to contribute.

“That’s the Dungeoneer’s Guild building, Aranya,” says Rhonda, and soon she opens the door for them all to enter. Sitting at a desk in front of a shelf of scrolls, an elven woman eyes them as she sips some tea.

“Well, you’re some interesting visitors. To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asks, looking amused at the odd little procession.

Freddie steps forward and sets the wrapped hand on the desk and explains as he slowly uncovers it. “Well… the dungeon wanted to talk to us, and it showed us this.” The elf coughs into her tea when Freddie says the Sanctuary talked to them, and all amusement is gone from her face as she sees the skeletal hand in the rag.

She composes herself quickly, though, and grabs some paper and a quill and ink, before looking at them all seriously. “If you all could, explain what happened, please.”

Aranya straightens herself and clears her throat before the kids can respond. “I am here on behalf of my Sanctuary. I need information to help it, and I will tell what I can to trade for it.” The elf gives her a considering look before replying in turn.

“You represent the dungeon’s interests, then?” Aranya nods, and the elf continues. “Very well. It is a dungeon in good standing, and that hand is from one that is not. I take it your dungeon wishes to know how to protect itself?”

Another nod. “I don’t know why, but it allows your def-, uh delvers to enter and gather and fight, but I do not think it likes the idea of another dungeon bothering it.”

“Very well. I am willing to trade information for information. I believe we both have a vested interest in the wellbeing of your dungeon.”