There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns

43: Raleish the Thought

Delta watched from a small distance, as Rale played tug of war with Bob. The sounds they were making were akin to a demon and a deteminded gym instructor.

Delta named the worm Bob to help see the creature as something a little cuter. It... kind of worked in a way. Rale tugged at the rock as Bob tried to pull it back in. They had been at this for a while and Delta was not going to tell them that if that rock had been an actual person, they'd long have drowned or been torn in half by the two forces.

It was a good attempt on the monster's efforts, however. Trying to save someone was at least something in Delta's books.

Rale held the rock with triumph and Bob wriggled in cheer. The worm seemed to just be perpetually happy at everything. Rale flexed and basked in response to the worms unho... excited noises. Delta eyed the gym tools that seemed stacked up against a rock formation as Rale seemed to claim the head of the river has his work out area.

Delta had heard of gym rats, never of gym frogs but she guessed as long as Rale was happy she could keep gifting him more items fit for a frog king of the gym.

She turned and nearly shrieked as Devina stood there.

"Mother, I sense you... and now I hear you," the frog smiled politely in Delta's general direction.

"Devina! You scared me," Delta grumbled and Devina just smiled. Her slightly rounder features and expressive eyes showed a slight hint of mischief before it vanished back behind the serene gaze.

"Did I? My apologies. I come to watch Rale and the new one. I spent much time conversing with the Queen Bee. She is rather demanding but interesting," Devina spoke with a casual tone and a small red bee crawled over her arm before it flew off to investigate a flower nearby.

"You talked to her? As in with words?" Delta questioned with delight and Devina shook her head.

"Her buzzing was mostly noise. We worked out a general one buzz for yes, two for no. She did 10 once and then laid eggs. I do not know what that means in Bee language but I took it for a polite goodbye," Devina informed her and Rale paused at the sound of her voice finally reaching him.

He turned and stared at Devina then slowly climbed into the pool to peer at her from the surface before he slowly sank out of sight. Delta blinked and Devina snorted.

"He thinks I am some oddity or otherworldly being. He has not spoken to me yet and my attempts have been met with silence and sudden bursts of running away. It amuses me so I sought him out," Devina informed Delta in a hushed tone. She turned and hummed, stroking the flowers and bushes that were formed. She flicked a black mushroom and it seemed to shrink away from her.

Delta raised one eyebrow at the scene then looked back at the wide-eyes of Rale, peering over the edge of the pool. He was hard to see as Bob was mimicking him, taking up most of the side of the abyss pool to stare at Devina.

He gave a small shriek and Rale nodded.

"That's her. The other one," he told Bob in confidence. The worm shivered and sunk out of view.

Delta took the chance to move closer and, smiling, spoke to Rale.

"So... why won't you talk to her?" she wondered and Rale jumped and splashed about in brief panic. He squinted at her then looked away.

"She is distracting! I cannot flex or lift or speak when she is around. It is some curse or spell she casts. Mother, I cannot save people with her appearing and making me weak!" he hissed and Delta put a hand over her mouth and tried not to make a noise for a while.

"I... see. That is a dilemma! Well, as the wise and powerful Delta," she began and in the far distance, a distance ringing sounded out like mocking laughter.

"Nu! Shut up!" she yelled at the forming jungle. Turning back, her face feeling pink, she continued.

"The key to defeating her power is to constantly be under it! You build up resistance," Delta said as if this was a big secret. Rale nodded and his eyes lit up with some inner light.

"I see... I know her weakness and soon I will be the strongest in the jungle!" Rale hissed and sank below the water to plot. Delta's lips twitched and she stood up to leave. Rale quickly reappeared.

"Mother. Bob is... a bit lonely," he began and some bubbles rose with a shriek and Rale glared down at the depths.

"If we do not tell her, we cannot improve!" he shouted. He turned back to the open air.

"I cannot always spend time with him so Bob would like some company," he explained and Bob's shadowy form vanished beneath the sand to hide, as if Delta would laugh at him.

Delta was too busy trying to stop her heart from breaking at the scene. Bob... the poor thing. She slipped into the water and sank to the dark bottom.

"Bob. Bob," she called and a pair of pincers barely appeared to acknowledge her.

"Don't worry. I am sorry, I should have guessed it was a little harsh of me to leave you in this pool alone. I'm just trying to make the dungeon better in a hurry so I've been kind of... a bad caretaker, huh? Here!" Delta spent some mana and two Crabs appeared. They swam about the pit and settled on the sand.

"Hey, guys! Hang out with Bob and try to have a good time!" Delta beamed, hoping she wasn't just setting herself up to deal with two more lonely creatures. The two crabs raised their claws and did a little dance. Bob appeared and quickly loomed over the two red crabs.

They danced and clacked their claws, not afraid. Bob slowly began to wriggle to the tiny dance. He flowed up and the crabs hitched a ride on his body. Delta rose and with them and saw the crabs now making noises and clicking their little hearts out.

Bob was now in full wriggle and began to bob his gaping maw back and forward.

Delta guessed he wouldn't become crabby anytime soon with these two little guys around.

Delta felt her first floor seal itself and Nu appeared.