Freddie and Rhonda elect to take the streets over to the cemetery and crypt complex, rather than try to slip through the tunnels, and I can hardly blame them. The scythemaws are mostly settled in now, but why take the risk?

I look in on Thing and Larx to see what they’re up to. I didn’t have Teemo tell them too much, other than their challenge should be something that doesn’t involve fighting, and should be something to help the kids with their classes. Thing looks to be planning to get Rhonda’s help with the axe, specifically with getting the pick ups to translate properly into the singing tesla coils. The hat isn’t finished yet, as I wanted to make sure the magitech amplifier setup would actually work before committing to the design.

I’m not sure how electricity and sound will help Rhonda with her ice class, but something about it feels right, so I don’t try to convince Thing to do something else.

Larx, on the other hand, seems to just be writing in a little book, trying to glean ‘wisdom’ from how I run things. I’m not so sure how well that’ll work, but he’s over halfway through this one, so what do I know? As far as I can tell, he’s planning some kind of debate or something? A discussion? Hard to say without having Teemo ask him.

Soon enough, the kids enter through the cemetery gates, and they even wave at Grim before they head into the complex. It’s interesting watching them fight the various verdant skeletons and fungal zombies, as well as the smattering of more ordinary undead that still wander out of the spawners sometimes.

Freddie doesn’t try to turn any of the hybrids, instead seeming to draw on the Shield’s power to strengthen himself, rather than weaken his foes. Rhonda’s cold magic works pretty dang well to immobilize and weaken them enough on its own, seems like, and I’m actually pretty impressed at how well they’re handling themselves in there. It gives me some confidence in them for the final challenge against Rocky and Aranya.

Before too long, they enter the public enchanting lab in the crypt complex, and Larx gives them a warm, grandfatherly smile and greeting. “Ah, you’ve made it! I hope Vernew didn’t take her loss too hard?” he asks and motions for them to take a seat. There’s no need to rush into things, after all.

The kids nod and sit on some stools, and their spiders hop off and explore a little. Freddie soon realizes they were asked a question and shakes his head. “She seemed to take it with grace. Well, with as much grace one can have when wrapped in a big bundle of Tiny’s web.”

“And a goblin, an orc, and two spiders,” adds Rhonda with a smile, and Larx grins at that.

“Ah, not the most graceful of victories, but accepted with grace all the same? Very good, very good. I’d offer you cookies or a drink, but Thing has made it very clear to me that this lab is not a place for snacks,” he says with a laugh, and Thing just shrugs… somehow.

“Master Staiven says the same thing. There’s stuff in a lab you don’t want to accidentally eat or drink, and delicate stuff can be ruined by a spill,” points out Rhonda, earning herself a thumbs-up from the wandering hand.

“Indeed! So, without much to distract us, what classes are you two hoping to get?” asks my dweller with a gleam in his eyes.

“I’ve been training hard to become a paladin of the Shield,” says Freddie, and Rhonda quickly follows up.

“I want to be an ice mage! I like ice, but I also want the versatility a mage has. I think I’ve been getting pretty good with other aspects, and Arcane would be just amazing to have!”

Larx nods at that. “Those both sound reasonable, and I think Thing and I will be able to help in our own ways. For you, Rhonda, he would like you to lend him a hand,” he says with a grin, and Thing manages to convey a flat look before Larx continues. “To help him with a tricky bit of enchanting. The details go well over my head, but it’s something about lightning mana transforming into thunder in specific ways.”

Rhonda looks intrigued by that, but manages to keep her questions to herself as Larx continues.

“And for you, Freddie, I wish to plumb the depths of your wisdom.”

Freddie looks a little confused at that. “Quoting scripture?” he asks, and Larx chuckles and shakes his head.

“That would just be you repeating their words. I want to hear it in yours. I won’t pretend to be an expert in the finer details of what the Shield demands, but I get the feeling there’s more than a few points it and Lord Thedeim would agree on. Are you both ready?” he asks, and the two nod, equal parts nervous and determined. “Then let’s begin.”

Thing

The Enchanter hand scion wonders how well this will work, but he doesn’t attempt to deny the wishes of the Master. He hasn’t been able to make much progress on the amplifier for a while now, so a fresh set of eyes could do a lot of good.

He takes a few minutes to try to explain the details to the goblin, but even with Lucas trying to help, he doesn’t get very far. He deflates a little and resorts to using the chalkboard to walk her through the process, which works much better. She takes meticulous notes and asks pertinent questions, and he finds himself enjoying being able to talk a bit of shop with her. She’s not an expert yet, but she knows enough to at least understand the problems.

“So these will actually turn the vibrations from the strings into lighting? Wow!” Thing can’t help but preen a bit at her appreciation of his and Queen’s hard work. He knows the Master appreciates the work, but having an outsider feel the same is different, somehow.

“And then they go over here and make tiny lightning bolts to make the thunder?” She looks at the board and her notes for a few seconds before continuing. “But you want it to sound a specific way, because it’s some kind of musical instrument?” She looks at the whole setup, looking a bit lost as where to even begin, and Thing understands that feeling all too well.

“Well, I’m no bard…” she starts before letting the thought trail off as she plucks a string, then puts her finger on it to pluck again. If it was working, it should make a higher note, but there’s no appreciable difference in the sound produced.

Thing motions for her attention and assistance, and the two get to work to try to make it sound better. The working assumption is that there is some kind of interference, but there are a lot of potential places for it to come in. Connections are checked and rechecked, different pickups tried to see if those are the problem, and even the coils are put through their paces to see if there is something wrong with them, but everything seems to be working properly.

Rhonda slumps in her stool as Thing taps a finger on his notes, both trying to think of what the problem could be.

“This is some advanced stuff you’re up to, Thing,” she compliments, and that does at least lessen the sting of failure, even if it reminds him of his failure with the lifedrinking enchantment, too.

“You and Queen both, and don’t even get me started on Rocky, heh. Have you seen Queen’s new ice bomb thing?” Thing has not, and so he motions for her to continue.

“I have no idea how she did it, but she made something that spreads an ice slick while building up energy for a really loud explosion! I don’t know how she managed to mix together ice, fire, and thunder of all things together into a flask!”

Thing nods at that, letting his mind wander how it would work. Rhonda wouldn’t know about how energy works like he and Queen do, and the other scions as well. The ice slick is created by the building explosion as it sucks the energy out of an area, and is then deliberately released with little direction.

Hmm… sonic waves and electrical waves. What if the release on the coils isn’t as properly organized as he thought? If the sounds are released wrong, they might be interfering with each other and canceling each other out.

Thing locks up as that thought mingles with the lingering bitterness of failing to defeat lifedrinking. He had been trying to pick it apart or otherwise destabilize it. Harmonic interference should be able to just make it vanish!

He scrambles to clear a space on the workbench, and the confused goblin does her best to help, even ordering Lucas to help put things away as Thing dashes about like a hand possessed. Once he has some room to work, he quickly creates a lifedrinking enchantment, and motions for Rhonda to look closer. She gasps as she realizes what it is.

“Lifedrinking?! What’s that have to do with…” she starts, but once again quiets as Thing starts weaving his new attempt at a counterspell for it. “Thunder? No, it’s close, but… what are you doing...?” she asks as she takes notes. Thing hardly hears her as he carefully works his magic, and he walks himself through the entire theory to help focus.

A wave has peaks and valleys, simple enough. If two waves meet, they will add together; peaks become bigger, valleys become deeper. But they can also lessen each other. A peak and a valley meeting will produce a smaller peak, a shallower valley. If you match them up perfectly wrong they will cancel each other out! It’s much more complex when the waves move off of a simple piece of paper, and more complex still with magic, but he can feel it in his bones that it will work this time!

“Oh!” quietly exclaims Rhonda, and Thing realizes he’s done it. The enchantment that’s been his bane has just vanished like a bubble of soap. He’s actually done it! He does a little dance before holding himself up for a high five, but Rhonda is staring wide-eyed at where the enchantment used to be.

“You did… something with thunder or lightning, and countered Lifedrinking?! How does that even work?!” she demands of him. Her need to know is quieted a little once she realizes she’s been leaving him hanging, and she slaps her palm against his. “But seriously, how?! That implies… that implies so much!”

Thing worries as he realizes he might have spilled the beans on one of the few things the Master has wished to keep secret from the delvers, but he can feel pride and happiness from the bond. Master Thedeim is proud of him for solving the long-standing problem!

As Thing looks over at Rhonda, he doesn't even need his Fate affinity to see she’s making great strides towards her class as she theorizes wildly and chases possibilities. He’s a little nervous about that, but the Master trusts her and her friend. These secrets could be devastating in the wrong hands… but they could be revolutionary in the right ones.