The next week and a half was used to settle Delpha and Grandma into life in the grove. As a former Hunter, Grandma quickly got to work teaching the Jotun and Gyger how to set snares to catch small game. I worried about the legality of this, but she told me as long as they don't set more than two per hunter, and check them within two days of setting them, it's all good.
They're also designed in such a way that if something too big is caught, it easily comes apart when some force is applied. Anything larger than a medium sized dog would easily be able to get loose.
With this, the overall need to hunt is lessened. She also taught us how to set up a smoker to preserve food. All necessary things that I'd probably have to get someone to teach me at some point anyway.
In return for her great contributions, I made a soft mattress for her out of silk. It's nothing more than a wooden stick frame covered in maximum strength silk, but once it's placed so the middle of the frame doesn't touch anything, it's like a stable hammock.
Seeing her delight over the softness of it, everyone else pestered for one as well, so I was plenty busy making beds for everyone.
Of course, I was keeping an eye on everything else happening within my Lair, but nothing major happened other than the continued construction of the new Guild Hall.
Delpha on the other hand is finally able to walk unassisted, at least for short periods. Her stamina still needs some work, but her balance is good enough that she doesn't need the walker I made for her anymore. I worried in the beginning about how the Servants would treat her, considering her perceived weakness, but I think Jotun and Gyger are much more kind to the weaker ones than regular Goblins.
Or maybe it's my wish for them to treat her nicely that's making them do it. I can't tell. Nevertheless, Delpha spends most of her time with me. Practicing walking around and such, and riding on my back once she gets tired and I want to move somewhere.
"Say, Millibelle, is this what you do normally? Just sit around making stuff for your Servants?" Delpha asks me. I look up from my current project; more beds, for the hatchlings that most likely will arrive next spring. I ponder for a moment.
"Well, this is probably the longest time I've spent consecutively in my Lair since making it... Before there were always things I wanted to do that required me to travel, and just before I 'rescued' you, I was Called by my Namer, and decided to do a detour to stop by the Spring to sort out my problems regarding Malice." I tell her.
"Your Namer... Who's that? Someone important, I bet, like the King!" Her eyes light up. I hesitate, the fewer who knows who my Namer is, the better, considering the danger. "She- her name's Valena Argenfeather. She's the grand-daughter of Brekiv Argenfeather, the Guild Master of G'cal." I decide to tell her.
"Hm... Why isn't she here? You'd think being someone as important as the one who Named the Monarch would stick around their achievement." She gets a thoughtful expression. "She wanted to be recognized as strong. Not because she Named me, but because she is strong on her own, despite me." Delpha makes a face at this.
"Sounds like a dumb reason to me. But what do I know, she sounds like she's Ayvin, they can get kinda odd with their quest for recognition." She shrugs. I quietly continue making the beds. It's true that I can come to her aid with Namer's Call, but what if I'm too late, or it's a situation I can't solve... I'd much rather have her here with me, where I make sure she's safe, but I highly suspect that she'd protest quite vigorously.
"Honestly, as refreshing as it is to be free of the Spring Keep, it's kind of boring around here..." Delpha stretches before getting to her feet for another round of practice. I give an amused snort. "I agree, but I've promised to stay here for at least a while longer before heading out again."
"Oh! I want to come with! Where are you planning on going?" Her eyes alight with excitement. "... I don't know actually... I am currently seeking several monsters to slay for my Evolution, but I don't know where they could be, and getting info through the Guild isn't a good option considering..."
Considering the fact that letting others know I'm looking for those monsters heightens the potential for my enemies setting traps. "I know! I can read your Fate, and then we'll know where the next target is!" Delpha seems very excited. Is this a good idea though? Blindly going where prediction takes us?
"Trust me, this is what I've been born for! Reading people's Fate is the only thing I'm good for, after all." She insists. I sigh. "As long as you're okay with it. Is there anything we need for this reading?" Delpha shakes her head "Only your co-operation. When I was younger I'd need a dose of Mothers Kiss, but now I don't need that."
Uh... Hey, World Knowledge, what's Mothers Kiss?
*Mothers Kiss: A hallucinogenic brew made from the dried and powdered roots of the Mothers Lips flower, used by trainee Oracles to aid them in reaching the mental state required for proper Visions. Banned for production and consumption except for by Oracles because of the potent side effects should the improper dosage be administered. Side effects include: Delirium, Psychosis, Hyperthermia, Hypothermia, Nerve Damage to lower torso leading to full Paralysis of legs.*
O-OH. Now, that explains a few things... It's odd that the poison attacks only the nerves in the legs, but at least it's less odd than congenital muscle degradation concentrated to only the legs.
"We can do it now?" Delpha seems to not have noticed my discomfort. I nod, "Let's."
The setup is simple; Delpha sits opposite me, holding my hands in hers as she enters a trance. A moment passes, before she speaks. "In the Garden for the Dead, the Grand One slumbers. The Monstrous Ruler's Kingdom calls to it in its Dreams." Her tone is odd, not unlike how World Knowledge sounds like in my head.
"Rising from the ruins of the False Town, the Grand One seeks to Usurp the Monstrous Ruler." She shudders, and lets go of my hands. The session is over. "Ough, it's been a while..." She steadies herself as she takes deep breaths.
"Is it uncomfortable?" I ask, worried for her well-being. Delpha waves me off. "No, it's just that it's a bit disorienting. It's like I'm floating above the scene I describe? And then suddenly I'm back on the ground once it ends." She explains. "So, was there any good info?"
"You don't remember what you say?" "Nope, I guess it's part of the whole 'Fate is a fickle thing', apparently the more people that are aware of a certain Chain of Events, the less likely it is to actually happen." I remember those cultists mentioning something to the same effect. That reminds me!
"Delpha, have you ever heard of a human man named Leicher Fogbottom?" I ask her. She makes a face at the mention of the name. "Last I heard, he and his little cult had vanished into the Wilds at his behest. Since then, no word had reached the Church of their whereabouts." She becomes thoughtful for a moment. "Why do you ask?"
"He was the one who tried to interfere with my Evolution. Seems he was planning to use me for something... He desired me to Evolve into a Tyrant." I'd mentioned the 'incident' with my Desperate Evolution, but not any names, when I told her my story. "That sounds like him, all right." Delpha sounds grim.
"He's a Prophet. Unlike an Oracle, who get their glimpses of Fate through the Divine, a Prophet gets it through less... reliable means." She explains. "Less reliable?" I ask, not understanding. "My Oracle Skill allows me to tap directly into someones Thread of Fate. It's limited, and only shows me the next big event in that persons life, but as long as they don't do anything to try to change it, the Chain of Events will follow its predetermined path." She gets up and starts pacing as she explains.
"A Prophet uses meditation to reach the Dream, a place humanoids aren't really meant to be, and seeks out an Other. We don't know what these Others are, but they seem to be somehow connected to Fate, as they are able to predict events weeks, months, even years ahead of them happening." The Dream... Is it the same Dream as the one I used when making my Lair? Or is it more akin to the one that birthed my Servants?
"The same rules apply to the predictions of the Other as mine, the more people know, the less likely it is to come to pass." She pauses, out of breath. Sitting back down, she continues. "Leicher is a dangerous man, gifted with the ability to make people follow him, and an affinity for the Dream. The Church keeps a close eye on any confirmed Prophets, due to the danger they pose."
"I get the danger of cults, but merely being able to predict the future?" I ask. Delpha sighs. "It wouldn't be as dangerous if the Others weren't able to predict the future the Prophet wants. Leicher desired you, or perhaps, something like you, to use for his schemes, and so the Other predicted where that something he wanted would appear."
So, him having built his little commune where he did... That was because the Other told him I'd pass by there... I shudder as I realize. If it wasn't for the fact that my Evolution unlocked enough of my Willpower for me to be immune to his Commands...
"So not knowing where he is currently is actually real bad." I summarize. Delpha nods. "From what the Church's been able to gather, he is trying to machinate some form of 'cleansing of humanity' to bring about the 'perfect era', whatever that means." She shrugs. "But let's not worry about him. Let's finish these beds so you can focus on deciphering your Fate!"
I consider the riddle as I work. Or well, she mostly spoke in cryptic bullshit, but it seems sort of straight forward. 'Garden for the Dead' could either refer to that flower meadow I found, or a graveyard. My money is on a graveyard, as if it was the meadow, wouldn't it be 'Garden of the Dead'?
'Grand One' must refer to the monster I seek. World Knowledge mentioned that Lindorms like hibernating beneath places of death, so a Grand Lindorm? It Dreams... of my Lair, and seek to Usurp it...
A Grand Lindorm is soon coming to fight me for my Lair!
Of course! But... I'd much rather strike before then. Dig the worm up and take it out before it wakes... But where is this ruined False Town?
"Maybe that Dungeon to the south of Our Lair? World Knowledge mentioned it was crawling with Undead, so it's definitely a place a Lindorm might like to sleep at."
It's also close enough that it would be able to sense my Lair. That meadow is like, half a day's travel away from here, definitely too far for it to notice me. Even if Our reasoning is off, We still need to deal with that Dungeon anyway.
"I think I know the answer." I tell Delpha. "Oh! Don't tell me though!" "The answer?" She nods. "Just tell me what you plan on doing." I frown. How can I tell her my plan without revealing the answer? Oh well. "There's a Dungeon to the south of my Lair, I plan on taking a few Servants with me and clearing it."
"Oh! Can I come with? I promise to not get in the way!" Her eyes alight once again in excitement. I sigh, regretting telling her. I'm not too keen on an escort mission where if I fuck up, I lose my only source of Purifying my Malice. She seems to have realized this, too. "I- I'm sorry. I just- I've been cooped up in that lousy Spring Fort as long as I can remember, and now I'm cooped up in this place..." She seems quite down.
"Tell you what, before I go do that, why don't we go say hi to the Dragonewt and his tribe of Lizardmen?" I offer. It's two birds, one stone, as I planned on asking the Dragonewt if he wanted to join my little expedition anyways. Bringing Delpha with me on that trip might lift her spirits some.
"Really! Sure!" She's all happy again. "Let me just finish these beds." I tell her. Once that is done, let's visit the Lizardmen.