The meeting of wisp and Plantlings, unfortunately, did not go according to plan.

Upon seeing the new-to-them wisp, the Plantlings all shrieked a battle cry and tried to rush Chesu. It was interesting to see their battle tactics, especially for a thing they couldn’t reach, since Chesu was able to just glide into the air above their heads. But it only took a moment for Gem to issue a command to keep it from happening again.

When the Plantlings had been told Chesu was friend and not foe, they milled around for a few moments in an aimless daze before returning to their posts at the generators.

“Industrious little buggers.”

“Eventually you can make one of them a Servitor. A, uh, stronger, smarter mob that I can explain better about later,” Chesu added before floating over to get a closer look at Shriek. “This one seems to be in charge, so it might be a smart idea to start with them.”

“You… you named them?”

Chesu nodded, a bit distracted by examining the little creatures. “Have you tried making any other mobs?”

Chesu seemed impressed. “Not necessary, but a good call anyway. Would be a shame to need it and not have it. Especially if you named them.”

Gem held back a moment before blurting out:

Chesu laughed, short and crisp. “I mean, they tried to kill me pretty effectively, so I wouldn’t be too worried about their ability to defend themselves.”

“Oh.” Chesu looked down at the little Plantlings. “Right. So. Good news? You can store their personalities. Sorta.” Chesu waved his hands through the air as if to ward off the questions he knew would be coming. “When a mob dies, they drop their Mob Heart. If they’re within your area of influence and you have another Mob Heart available for their personality, you won’t lose them when they die. They can just be resummoned.”

“Yeah. A lot of dungeons get attached to their creatures. Don’t know why I thought you’d be different.”

Gem sent the wisp an image of a shrugging gem. It was a bit of a struggle, but the image at least conveyed what he was going for. It just didn’t seem to have enough movement.

The wisp laughed at that one. “Proverbial eye, proverbial children. I get it. But um, alright. So, you’ve got how many command points left?”

“And you aren’t going to unsummon these guys, right?”

The question was like a stab at a heart Gem didn’t have.

“Alright, so that leaves you with about fifteen more mobs you can spawn.”

Gem did some mental math.

Chesu grinned. “Glad you’re awake, kid. Your Boss Mob.” When Gem didn’t immediately ask, Chesu continued. “A Boss Mob is three times as expensive as the base mob it’s made from. So if you use a mob that costs two command points, the boss will cost six.”

“Usually. They get some unique abilities depending on the mob and what kind of heart is used to spawn it, so the power isn’t exactly a one-for-one calculation. But generally, they get three times as many stats.”

Gem contemplated that as he examined the mobs in his menu. Gem paused.

Chesu laughed, crisp and clear. “Well, it’ll only get uglier as a boss, let me assure you. And a Tank Mob might make a really good boss. It’ll gain some damage from its new abilities, and its base stats will be inflated. Sometimes a good fight is all about who can last the longest.”

Gem thought about his design for his dungeon. The Cicadossum wouldn’t be completely out of place for the haunting forest temple, and would at least be a more impressive boss figure than an antlered goose or a humanoid made of twigs and flowers.

“I’m sure you did fine, kid.” The wisp looked a bit sad. “Already it looks better than many of the dungeons I’ve seen on Sleyn. You’ve got an eye for this thing.”

Gem’s words started to speed up and become higher pitched, so he stopped thinking them before he had a panic attack. There was so much more at stake now, since he knew of Chesu’s core-related lineage. Failing to destroy the Ostrum didn’t just mean that the people of Sleyn were doomed. It also meant the destruction of his older brother.

“Hey.”

Gem refocused on his surroundings but Chesu was gone from standing next to the generators. Instead, Gem felt gentle fingers on his crystalline prison.

“I mean this in the nicest way possible, kid, but you’ve got to chill out. Like, I’m sure your design is great. And yes, I’ll absolutely help you with traps and mobs. That’s why I’m here.” Chesu’s hands moved, and suddenly Gem could feel so much warmth. The wisp was hugging him. “We’ll do this together. Or we’ll fail spectacularly together. Either way, it’ll be a good time.”

A warmth that had nothing to do with Chesu’s hug spread through his core, banishing the panic.

They’d do it together.

Somehow, that meant everything.