That certainly set a somber tone for the rest of the evening, and Moriko couldn’t help but reflect that her life had been simpler before she’d run into that damn brat. She couldn’t even remember his name, she’d already been moving on with her life, but the sequeo her life were casg. In the end, it robably for the best, but there were going to also be some bad times ahead. Those times were nht now, however. After Mordecai and Traxalim fialking and the priest went to bed, it was also time for her to get some sleep, her brother robably going to be hyperactive at an ungodly early hour. She briefly sidered trying to get some ‘rexation’ in first, but Kazue had taken the ive news of the day the hardest and had pushed herself the most for the socialization and wouldn’t be in the mood, and trying to cim Mordecai’s attention would be selfish. Cuddles it was, with Kazue in the middle.
Moriko really did like the younger woman, and her affe towards the kitsune was building closer to what Moriko was willing to call ‘love’, but sometimes her impulsiveness was frustrating. Moriko really wished that Kazue had not insisted on that stupid oath. Teically the results had ended with them being strengthened in some ways, but there was now also a potentially fatal fw in Mordecai that hadn’t been there before. Those thoughts and feelings she would keep to herself however, she’d felt the surge of guilt from Kazue’s mind when Ozuran had appeared and made his pronou, Moriko had no iion of adding to it.
When m came, Moriko was slightly surprised to find them both there. She was less surprised about Kazue, affeate tact was emotionally healing, but Mordecai teo be very restless as he didn’t even have the habit of sleeping. “Good m,” she said to them before kissing them and rising to get ready for the day and preteo not be envious of how they could just jure clothing onto their avatars.
Mordecai was wearing a variation of what Kazue had dressed him ierday, but deliberately more casual by losing the jacket and onry, and leaving the top of the shirt unbuttoned and the bottom untucked. Kazue had created a less formal version of yesterday’s dress but in blue and minus most of the embroidery. For herself, Moriko went with simple bck pants and a red silk blouse, with short bck boots. She’d sidered wearing the green dress she’d worn out to the bar, but decided it didn’t quite fit the day, and besides, if she was going to wear that she waheir plete attention.
Moriko had brought all of her sexiest clothing with her, in one part because the people she most wao see her in it were here, and in part to help push her ge of habits. This hadn’t been a reasonable and slow build-up to a retionship that would have old patterns slowly ge with it, so she wao pletely break old thought patterns until she felt more settled in. After that, well, she liked her pretty and sexy clothes, being a married woman wasn’t going to stop that!
In a cheerful mood, she trailed after the pair who had already left to go greet everyohere were no introdus to be done or anything, so it was mostly a casual m to be spent with her family while the other two took care of making sure everyone was set and ready to go. But of course, there had to be o bit of maternal input about her marriage.
“Well, they do certainly seem like a nice pair, but, um, Moriko, I did notice that it seems to be more about them than you, and that s me,” Kaoru said in a low whisper. Moriko couldn’t help but roll her eyes a touch.
“First of all Mother, while they are most likely actively not paying attention to us right now to give me some privacy, they hear and see everything that happens anywhere in the dungeon.” She sighed a little bit and shook her head as her mother flushed lightly in embarrassment. “Sed of all, the three of us already discussed stuff like that. There is the retionship and there is ‘being the dungeon’, which is much like being a business. Imagine if you and dad had a third retionship partner who was not an alchemist and hadn’t tributed anything to the business. You might ihem to work there, maybe even with a generous amount of pay, but they wouldn’t be a business partner uhey had something to tribute there. Eh, the analogy is not quite perfect, because in this case I actually ’t bee an equal part of the dungeon, unless someone knows a way for a normal person to bee a dungeon core. Well, you know, aside from dying and being given a special case of pity mercy by a goddess.” Moriko saw Kazue’s ear twitch from the er of her eye and grihey may be trying to not listen in, but people always teo hear things that involved them better.
Her mhed, then nodded. “Alright sweetie, I trust you and you’ve done very well for yourself these past 20 years since you left for the temple.” Moriko chose the better half of valor and did not point out that it was more ‘shipped off to’ tha for’. Especially sihis was a case of her parents being quite correct, it was the pce she o help her grow. “It’s just hard for a mother to not worry about something so, well, sudden.”
Fortunately, Moriko was saved more mushiness by her brother, who was bounding over from a group of the ganthros he’d been talking with. “Hey, the rabbit people said they’d be happy to have me e bad take part in more of their pys. They said that Kazue had a whole bunch of new ideas retly that they want to experiment with. I want to e back here lots!” She let her mother handle expining the realities of traveling here since he was too young for ao feel fortable about him going alone. While her family was distracted by that, Moriko wondered how the others were doing.
One of the first things Mordecai did was get together with the delving party to give them their prizes. “As I said st night, I ’t make you directly stronger, but I increase your versatility and give you a oy to py with.” In front of each of them appeared a rge satchel. Every satchel tained a holster, a pistol, a hundred normal bullets, a sele of Cold Iron and Silvered bullets, pre-measured bck powder charges for all of them, aailed instrus oion and safety. Every gun was carefully ornate, with small inys of foxes, rabbits, and dragons done in a variety of preetals aones, all desigo not interfere with the operation or handling of the on, plus basiha runes pced discretely to not csh with the designs.
“As I uand it, these ons are somewhat unon, and the ones wielded by the ganthros may not be quite suitable fer hands. So I created some nies based off of the one pistol I’ve had a ce to examine, and some appropriate ammunition. I’ve also ized the ammunitioion. For yes, I gave fewer cold iron and silvered bullets and repced that with some normal lead ohat have a single-use entment. You load a novice-level spell into it which discharges when you hit your target. You only have a few seds to use it, just like with arrows of the same entment, but it’s always o be able to use a melee range spell at a distance.”
The group began going through their ash, and he gave them a couple of minutes before adding. “Also, while I would be happy if you all decided to keep them, I uand if any of you decide they don’t fit yhting style and decide to sell them. Our dungeon is a little young to provide much of value for folk of your experience, but I thought you might be able to find a use for these.” Mordecai grihen. “Of course, give us a few more months, and you might find something signifitly more challenging.” They had enough mana to plete the fourth floor easily and immediately start on the fifth.
He could have just geed a bunch of low-level potions or something, but that seemed, well, b, and more likely to upset the market than a handful of unon but not incredibly rare items. But the group seemed happy enough with their prizes and the promise of a better fight, aer rewards, iure, though as far as he could tell they mostly did it for eai value, being mostly tent with their current less adventurous jobs and lifestyles.
After he parted with them, Mordecai met with the merts he had not had a ce to barter with before aiated more deals until the dungeon’s capacity was almost wrung dry. Most of the merts were satisfied, but a couple of merts with a wagon and a few guards elected to wait one more day, while the rest of the ente got ready to head back to town.
Traxalim was . “I was w if you could do me a favor, and arrange some issions for me? I don’t need anything quickly and will need some time to be able to pay for it. And for your troubles, I know what I want to give you as payment. Here’s a prototype.” A long staff materialized in his hands, a thick shank of oak with bumps around each tip. Spiraling through the wood were veins of cold iron and silver, each vein terminating at both ends into one of the bumps, which were arranged in a pattern to guarahat any solid hit would strike with all three materials.
The old priest took the staff and exami with a critical eye. “The metals run deep. If you tried to craft this normally the whole thing would fall apart, but you built this as a whole piece, everything is perfectly interlocked and fused.” He g Mordecai. “And by prototype, I assume you are thinking of a different wood?”
Mordeodded. “There are a few trees that carry special power in them. Some wouldn’t i well being infused with cold iron and silver, but others should be fine. I’m thinking if I had the right wood, it would make an excellent base for a priest’s staff.”
Traxalim chuckled. “Yes, that would be a fine price for a simple task like arranging a ission. I don’t know if aher than a dungeon could create something like this. So what is it you want to have made?” Mordecai handed over a folded note, made from paper and ink taken off of the bandit’s leader Akuma. He then smiled and pced a finger over his lips. “Hah, alright, I’ll read it once I’m on the road then. The right sort of surprises are good for life.”
Once he had fihere and joined Kazue and Moriko in saying goodbye to Moriko’s family, the three of them moved to their private chambers to discuss what was .
“So, do you guys need me to do anything today?” Moriko asked, but after a brief sultation, the dungeon cores agreed that they were set for everything they needed right now. “Alright, I think I’m going to warm up a little then see if Betty wants to spar for a little bit. Her style is different than mi fast enough that I think it’ll be an iing challenge for both of us.”
While she went to ge into training gear, Mordecai turo Kazue. “You seemed to have had an idea perg si night. Care to share what you’ve e up with?”
The kitsune gave him a grin. “Well, we got all of these books retly, and I use what’s in my head to instantly create other books, right? Oh, but do you know any good riddles? I only think of ones well-known in stories, I don’t think those would be good enough for a challenge, so I’m probably going to have to create some new ones. How about math puzzles?”
Zagaroth