When Traxalim and the group he was esc arrived at the feast hall, Kazue, Mordecai, and Moriko rose to greet them, and soon had them seated at the table with the elderly elf seated at the long-side seat Mordecai. It took a while for the st puzzle-path group to make its way through and join the feast, and while normally having a meal start without everyone present would be less than ideal, getting started immediately let them get kids fed as soon as they arrived as well as stagger the amount of food the rabbit folk had t out at a time.
While Mordecai was enjoying the happy chaos of excited children and chatting with his grandchild on innocuous topics, he was getting the feeling that not all was quite as it seemed. Moriko was trying to hide a sense of mischief, aher suspected that she had yet another surprise in store for them. He was n, for shortly after the st group had a ce to finish their first pte of food, Moriko rose and cpped her hands oo cut through the noise and grab everyone’s attention. Mordecai and Kazue exged looks before turning to their wife with suspi in their eyes.
“Alright, now that everyone is here, it is time for our duo decide who the winner is for all the kids who went out scouting fifts!” She announced with a grin, then turowards the two dungeon avatars with false innoce painted on her face.
“Kazue, if you start dealing with the social part, I start w on prizes. We strangle her ter.” His thoughts were sent to both of them, and Kazue replied quickly.
“Okay, do you think I my tails around her neck? I have enough of them to do a good job I think.” They both ignored Moriko’s protests, though somehow it didn’t seem that she was actually intimidated by their threats.
Kazue rose to her feet to address the crowd, starting with thanks for all the wonderful gifts and how grateful they were. While she did that, Mordecai started trying to figure out appropriate prizes quickly. They only had so much capacity left, and this was going to dey giving appropriate prizes to the adventuring party. Fortunately, an idea quickly came to him, though its execution was going to take up some of his tration for a bit. While he was chewing on ideas, Kazue mentally sulted him for a moment, and they agreed to not have those whht their pets and panions be ‘rewarded’, it felt like the wrong sort of hat wasn’t an exge, no one was selling their pets. They also agreed on the first-pce winner easily enough.
“So rizes to give out to everyone,” she announced, “but I would like to start with our winner. I know many of you will be disappointed, but you'll all have to agree that this one retty clear winner. Would the person whht us the ‘living stone’ make themselves known?” The boy who rose after a bit of encement made a rough, awkward bow. He appeared to be about twelve and didn't seem to be very talkative, but Mordecai felt that this was from an overabundance of being thoughtful, rather than having nothing to say.
He rose and smiled at the boy. “And what is your name?”
“Derek, sir.” Came the reply, along with an unfortable shifting of his feet. He was clearly not enjoying being the ter of attention. Well, Mordecai would put the kid out of his misery quickly then.
“Well Derek, based on yift and taking a look at you, I suspect you have a talent with the elements or with spirits, sift to you will be a very special deck of cards,” he said, geing the pattern he’d been holding in his mind. “I don’t know what form your talent might take, so these will help you decide what feels right for you. Each card has a different minor spell ented into it, and only be used ohis will help give you a feel for what seems right for you. However, I expect you to use these under supervision; even the most minor of magics could hurt you, a friend, or an i. Do you uand?” The boy nodded, and Mordecai walked around the table to hand the deck over personally and give Derek a handshake.
“Now, you all worked very hard, and we have enjoyed having you all here, so we also have a special gift for everyone.” Kazue tinued, her tails swishiedly and ever so actally swatting Moriko in the face with one. By this time Mordecai had made it back to stand by his seat, and it was time for a little showmanship. With a dramatic sweep of his hands and some unnecessary sparkles of light, a leather bandoleer appeared in front of each guest, with five slots each holding a vial of golden liquid.
“This is a special honey, whiy knowledge is uo our dungeon. For fvor, one should find it as sweet as any other honey, but with a bit of a sparkliion for the tongue. However, it is also more than a sweet treat. This honey has mild healing and curative properties and give a slight boost of energy to a tired body. It also sustain you for a day without the need of other food, though oill needs water a, and it does not make your stomach feel full.”
The honey he’d taken from the bunbee's hive in exge for blooming even more flowers, and it already had milder versions of the properties he’d voiced; then he’d woven more magid alchemical pounds in tthen it, creating the potions he’d just given out and mostly exhausting their avaible loot geion for the day. It was a tribution challenge, so he felt that all who tributed to the final results should receive a prize, and he wao make a good impression after all.
Mordecai looked towards the group that had delved through the battle path. “I ’t pete with the quality of the equipment you already own, but I have an idea for something that I think you will all like. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to finish them until tomorrow m, but I think you will appreciate them.” He turo Traxalim, who was the head of this little caravan. “In the m I will also turo you more bandoleers with potions, to distribute to the guards and merts who remained with the caravan, as they have supported our challengers and gift givers, so it is fair.” He emphasized that st word, trusting that the priest would uand.
He also had created a table with a small spread of fresh food and put a sign just outside the door inviting the guards to rotate in and enjoy the feast and use the washroom. Kazue and he had doheir best to create a rather more civilized duhan most, an approach possible through the bination of his experien creating guest quarters with facilities and the like, and the kitsune’s experiend sensibilities from growing up in civilization.
“We also have aodations for you all, whiy of anthros here will be happy to show you to.” He and Kazue had been p a proper racial name for their rabbit folk for a while and had finally settled on this hybrid of gomorph–anthr dinner. “Though I have to admit we will be slightly pying favorites, as we have separate aodations for Moriko’s family and Traxalim. In the meantime, however, feel free to eat to your heart’s tent and enjoy some eai. In the m, when you feel like leaving, you will find that the rge alcove with the glowing arch will take you instantly to the entrance, but does not have a way back so do not use it until you are ready to leave.”
Kazue cpped her hands with a smile, and several of the ganthros rushed in to set up some props to form an impromptu stage, upon which they began rotating several small performances such as juggling and tumbling, skills that were part of their ability to perform on stage for Kazue’s challenge. After making sure everyone was settled, Moriko showed her family where their guest room was going to be, while Mordecai and Kazue led Traxalim to the office space they’d created but not yet had a ce to use. There they waited until Moriko was able to catch up with them, keeping to some small talk so as to not o repeat anything. The chairs were rearranged into a small circle so everyone was fag each other.
After a moment of silence, Mordecai began. “So, to be upfront, a lot of my memories are not accessible until our core has grown a ler. Until then, I probably don’t have any specific memories of yrandmother.”
Traxalim nodded. “I uand. I have to admit I was w how you were funal. We creatures of flesh and blood tend to have our memories fade and grow fuzzy over time, but dungeoo remember everything. However, based on the depth of the dungeon, your core should be too small to hold everything at this point. The story Moriko told made it clear that your old core was gone, and by her description, that core ossibly already smaller than it had been before you were sealed.”
Mordeodded. “I do have a guess about that. When I awoke, none of my previous inhabitants were with me; I could not find the pattern of their souls. I have since learhat some were able to escape on their own, and Ozuran collected the souls of others when the dungeon could no longer support them. So that portion of my core’s capacity was alleviated, and I may have instinctively sacrificed a portion of my core in order to sustain myself for longer. Speaking of, do you kly how long I was sealed for? Enough has ged that I have no sense of time, though I feel certain it has been over a thousand years.”
Traxalim smiled. “2,146 years to be exact. I am the you, and st, of my siblings. I have children and niblings alike, so this legacy does carry on.” Mordecai was stunned, he had no idea how he’d sted that long, even with the burden of supp more souls lifted. All of his best estimates still put him at well less than 2,000.
“Ah, before I fet, I have something else for you.” Traxalim reached into a pocket to pull out a book that did not look like it should quite fit. “All of your lihat I know of are recorded here. Mind, not all know of this heritage. The royal family of Kuic does not know, and only the direct matriarchal line of the Azeria ows, passing it only to their successors. My family has taken a different approach, and we all know. But elves have fewer childreime, and more time to ehat all know the importance of a secret before letting a desdant know the secret. We’ve also established ourselves as schors and collectors of esoteriowledge, enabling researto almost anything without arousing suspi. Which is how we know as much as we do about the Purity Cult. Not their name by the way, there are several such groups, and most don’t even realize their on background. This is just what we have taken to calling them as a collective.”
Mordecai took the book gently; for him it was a treasure whose price was hard to measure. “Thank you.” He held on to it for now, instead of analyzing it. He wao read it properly first, though as a practical matter he would make sure it was copied pletely in time. “What you tell me about the cult as it is now?”
“Hmm, well, there is a lot to tell. Most of their history I will be sending to you over time as books, but I give you a summary. While you eliminated all those responsible for the atrocity, there were many who had simply been indoated but had never been part of the attack. In addition to this, there are always those who find an excuse to look down upon those who are different than them, so the whispers and ideas of the cult also took root with them. It has entwiself most deeply irionean Empire, to the north of both Kuic and Danuana. Mm, I o remember to send you updated maps of the ti as well.”
He paused for a moment to sider what to tell . “The cult has almost no sway at all over Kuic, given how the royal and noble families take a certain amount of pride in their mixed heritages. This is in part because people from across the world resettled the region; many of the heroes and military forces who had e to defeat you chose to stay. After all, by then there was nothing that could be reized as a regional gover, many were weary after finally eliminating the st of the monsters you’d unleashed, and there was a lot of unoccupied nd.”
Traxalim frow his aor. “We know the truth of why you acted as you did, and Grandmother made sure we all khat while you had good cause and justified goals, your methodology was ill-chosen. And it has sequeill, that story has been twisted by the cult to create a ‘secret truth’ that all dungeons are in fact demoies, and you as a demon prince who tried to destroy the world, and that despite beied someday you would return to try and finish the job. When they realize you are actually back, they will do what they to attack you. Fortunately, military might is out of the question uhey wish to do war with Kuic and Danuana alike, so it may take time for them to infiltrate with a stroo attack you here. But attack you they will.”
Then the a elf shook his head ruefully, "Of course, there are roups with iing beliefs that have arisen as well, glorifying your war. They tend to be much more harmless as they are more about idolization than ideology, but such strong beliefs still lead to rash as."
Zagaroth