"""So we just march in to the Undermountain and demand that the Lich King of Ages surrender?" / "Well, nobody's tried that before..."""
It's one hell of a fight, no pun intended, and the King's forces learn, do NOT threaten youngsters, or adults for that matter, in front of the person's family, especially in front of the mother. There's a reason the nickname for such is "Mama Bear".
@internutter/challenge-03336-i048-youve-been-mothered -- Anon Guest
These people, Abundance decided, did not know how to take a joke. They actually were just marching into the Undermountain to demand the Lich King of Ages surrender. With the hero foretold being a mother approaching the middle of her century, striding in as if she were going to take up a matter with the manager.
It was a very good thing that Abundance prepared a great deal of defensive and healing magic. He'd never had a mother before and wanted to keep this one around.
He was still trying to figure it out after they got past the Kobolds. The goblins were no problem. Venin simply negotiated a deal where the entire swarm went off to other parts whilst all the other nonsense carried on. Ma Oxbrydl could just... crochet things and they carried on into the deeper depths.
For the Kobolds, egg bandoliers so the tribe could move their nests out of the Lich King's influence and threat radius. With, of course, a promise to not cause trouble for the people already at their destination[1]. The same thing happened to the Rock Giants, with Ma's colourful yarn becoming something incredibly useful for them.
Then there was the discovery that the hand-made coat-o-colours could rebuff the deathly cold of the ice chambers. When wearing the coats, they suffered no ill effects from the fatal chill. Doffing so much as one sleeve invited frostbite or worse.
The less said about Kevin and his miracle bow, the better. It did everything but kill people, because Ma said that killing people was bad.
Abundance never told his new Ma that some of his wards were fatal against murderous followers. He was a clean killer. There was nothing left of the bodies by the time his magic was done with them. Let Ma believe that he was a good kid, deep down. It was a novel experience and he found himself not wanting to break her heart.
"It's true, isn't it," whispered Venin one late hour as Abundance took his watch. "Paying kindness to a Tiefling is like feeding a stray cat. They follow, and stay, and get tame."
"For limited definitions of tame," allowed Abundance. "I understand that sibling rivalry exists... you could hold this over me if you wanted."
"Ma says that's not nice."
Abundance could also see a clear future. "We're going to get a Lich for a brother. Or... somehow... kill him with kindness."
"We could kill his need to be evil. And without an anchor, a Lich just..." Venin made a descriptive sound and mimed something falling to pieces. "I also saw Ma tell a whole army to go home and think about what they did. And they did."
"Stand in the corner and don't come out until you're a better being?" Abundance could see that happening too. With limestone dripping down and trapping the world's greatest evil in a pillar of rock. He was never going to tell Ma what his wards did to hostile forces.
"You two get some sleep," said Ma from her bedroll. "You need your rest, it's a long day tomorrow."
She didn't need to work a Geas on either of them. "Yes, Ma."
[1] The rarity of colonisers NOT causing trouble for the locals has never been calibrated because it previously didn't exist.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / elm98]
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