The First Mate

The great white scion of Hullbreak Harbor looks across the seabed to the forces of the other dungeon. Thedeim, or Neverrest, or whatever it is, she’s given the Captain’s decision: The invaders leave, or everyone dies. She can feel the Captain’s confidence through the bond. He’s certain the other dungeon will back down.

She’s pretty sure he’s just killed them all. At least there’s a decent chance of the dwellers being able to get out safely.

“The Boss calls that mutually assured destruction,” comes the odd sound of Thedeim’s Voice. She’s never heard anything like the odd crackles it makes. “The Boss also says it only works if it’s actually mutual. You’re making this a lot messier than it needs to be, Hullbreak.”

The First Mate can hear the Captain’s confidence as the Quartermaster approaches the coastal town. She can also feel that confidence move to mild surprise as a black cloud rises and moves to intercept.

“That’s Poe, the Marshal of Murders and Lord of Unkindnesses, Thedeim’s raven scion,” comes the sound of the voice. It’s odd though… it doesn’t sound proud or boastful, but more resigned.

Her Captain asks her a question, and she relays it. “Are you worried he won’t win? You don’t sound very confident in your so-called scion.”

Her Captain’s confidence evaporates as the raven scion embraces the power in those titles, seemingly in response to being called out. She can’t feel the power directly, but the Captain is scrambling to try to come up with something to counter this unexpected threat.

She can hear the directions given, and it’s all but confirmed the Captain has killed them all.

“The Boss isn’t worried about Poe losing. He’s worried about collateral damage to the town.”

“Then back off. The Captain will leave them be if you leave him be.”

“And he’ll go right back to starving, especially after having spent all his mana on making and upgrading a new scion like that albatross. Then we either do this whole dance again, or the Boss just lets Hullbreak starve.”

The Captain snaps a retort at that, and the First mate relays it. She wants to know, too. “Why do you care?”

“Because he just does,” comes the simple reply. The Captain rages as the First Mate simply waits, and thinks. If this other dungeon really is as strong as it’s claiming to be, why doesn’t it just subsume the Captain? Why would it try to help?

Will it even still want to help, after the two winged scions clash? All she can do is try to feel how the battle is going, through her bond with the Captain. She can’t see through the Quartermaster’s eyes, but she can still sense what the Captain is feeling. Mostly, it’s rage, but she can catch glimpses of more. The ever-present sorrow and pain from the loss of the dwellers. She wonders if the Captain even registers that anymore, or if he just accepts it as his baseline. Smug satisfaction. The Quartermaster has figured out something to use against this Poe.

Movement at the enemy dungeon’s beachhead pulls her from what she’s doing. A skeleton, weighted by rocks? That doesn’t seem quite right. It has a strange hat, and an odd… axe? She’s never used one before, but she doesn’t think that’s how that’s supposed to be held. The Captain suddenly is in abject terror as the figure comes to a stop, but the great white shark can’t figure out why.

And then sound. It has the same odd edge that the Voice had, but no words. It starts with a few simple notes, pure and simple, somehow beautiful even with the harsh edge. Rumbles accentuate the notes as they flow in a simple melody of sorrow, of a battle that didn’t need to be. Subtler notes join, adding tension to what should be something of simple beauty. It didn’t have to be this way… it still doesn’t.

A momentary pause before what she can feel should be the final note, the quieter melody and rumblings stop. Even the tides seem to pause for just a heartbeat, before the final note falls.

The First Mate gasps when it does. She could feel the Quartermaster vanish, the gull spawner now slowly working to respawn him. What kind of attack could obliterate him in a single hit like that?! She was vaguely aware of him taking a few other attacks, but nothing like whatever it was that ended him.

The opposing dungeon’s forces stand still and solemn, and the weight of the song crashes down on her and the Captain. That is another scion. A Bard. That song was no battle hymn, no glorious march to war. It was a dirge.

The first mate shudders, knowing that if it’s played again today, she won’t be able to hear it.

Thedeim

I watch through my scions’ eyes as Slash plays, and I’m glad Fluffles treated that attack with the solemnity it deserved. It took a decent chunk of my mana to do, but it looks to be well worth it. The storm is petering out now, so I let Coda give the bell a break. It’s probably still a good idea to let my dwellers continue with their plans to check the city, though. There’s probably going to be a lot of people wanting answers.

But I also probably shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch. There’s still the First Mate and the sharks ahead of us. I think the song took just about all of the fight out of them, though. I nudge Teemo to try to talk again.

“Will you let us pass?” echoes his voice from Slash’s hat, my Voice riding his shoulder.

“I… yes…” comes the tired answer from the First Mate.

I leave the skeletons at the beachhead for now, not seeing much point in having them march in. Even if Hullbreak somehow tries to trap my scions, I still have all the rockslides and slimes inside. Marching the skeletons in would just be kicking him while he’s down.

Rocky, Slash, and Teemo walk out from the beachhead, and Yendo nervously follows. Once they all meet up with the First Mate, she escorts them back towards Hullbreak.

“What… was that?” asks the merman. It’s plain on his face that he knows something big happened, but he doesn’t look like he thinks a song was all.

“It was a dirge, for the Quartermaster,” answers the First Mate, and Teemo nods.

“Thedeim really didn’t want to fight, but he’s not going to hold back if it’s the only option.”

Yendo and the great white both look like they’re still trying to process that as everyone reaches the edge of Hullbreak’s territory, and the merman gasps as he sees it.

It looks a lot different than I was expecting it to, from the reports. As my scions move through it, though, I get an inkling for why.

“He consumed everything, didn’t he?” asks my Voice, even though the answer is clear.

The First Mate nods grimly. “The nodes, the other spwaners… everything except me, the Quartermaster, and the shark and gull spawners. And the enclave, of course. He wouldn’t, even if he could.”

Slash nudges various rockslides as they go, and the odd elementals distribute the information through the grapevine: no more need to hide. The shark chuckles as she sees the movement.

“Heh… elementals? The Captain had no idea.”

“Slimes, too,” adds Teemo. He doesn’t want to pile it on, but at this point, might as well be honest with everything, even if I’m sure it hurts Hullbreak’s pride.

As we enter the merfolk Enclave, I’m surprised to see several merfolk with tridents standing… ‘standing’ in the way of the procession. Rocky can see what looks like a big coral sculpture past them, in the center of town, which is where we’re almost certain the core is. I can’t think of any other reason for the First Mate to lead us here, nor for the merfolk to try to threaten us.

“Go away! We won’t let you harm the Captain!” speaks up a merman in what looks like some kind of shell or coral armor. He doesn’t sound very old, and Rocky can see the shaking of his hands on the haft of the weapon, but the merman isn’t backing down.

“Klyrnev, let them pass. There’s nothing we can do,” starts the First Mate, but the merman shouts over her.

“No! They’ll kill the Captain!”

“We won’t,” states Teemo.

“Liar!” shouts the merman, then notices Yendo among the scions. “You! This is all because of you, traitor!” With that, he lunges towards the shocked merman.

Rocky’s hand moves through the water like it’s not there, and grabs the haft of the weapon. Judging from the loud crash an instant later, I’m pretty sure he brute force moved it with his kinetic affinity. The speed and sound makes the merman release the trident and both he and Yendo stumble backwards. Terror is clear on Klyrnev's face as a lich just disarmed him mid-strike, while Yendo is in a new variety of shock from being saved by an undead scion.

I get a notification as Rocky simply looks at the merman.

Accept Geas? Y/N?

Hullbreak offers fealty in exchange for no harm ever befalling the merfolk.

I sigh at the popup and select no.

“Thedeim will not make an impossible promise, Hullbreak,” speaks my Voice as Rocky raises the trident, then plunges it into the silt of the sea floor.

“Pain and hardship are just part of life. He has no intention of harming them, and will protect them as he does his own enclaves. And he’s going to help you, too. He has no intention of subsuming you, either. Things are going to be weird, he’ll do a lot of stuff that doesn’t make sense, stuff you won’t like, maybe even hate… but the merfolk and you will all be better for it.”

Lordship accepted, Hullbreak Harbor Vassalized.

“...The Captain accepts… Admiral Thedeim.”