Moriko pohe description of the library as she savored the st of her frozen dairy desert, a sample of what was being offered in one of the shops. “You know, this is sidered rich people food. Keeping up the magiake frozes is normally expensive, but you are only charging a few coppers per serving? And the ganthroing to be experimenting with the different fruits you’ve created. Yeah, once wets out about this stuff, I think half the town will be making pilgrimages out here.” She paused, then grinned suddenly as an idea came to her. “Hey, I know of some expensive imports that e from beans that are supposed to be hard to grow in most pces. But a dungeon make anything grow ohey have a sample, right? Want to break a market or three?”

  She ehe look Mordecai was giving her, and put on her best ‘i’ face, and leaned forward, drawing her arms in close. “I mean, there are some tasty treats that I’d really enjoy having occasionally, do you think you’d be able to grow some for me, please?”

  Mordecai snorted, and she ehe feel of his affeate amusement over their link. “Love, I think you’re better off leaving that style of sedu to Kazue.” His eyes flicked down briefly as he said that. “I think you would be better off aiming for a more sultry style.”

  Moriko growled pyfully at him. “You just say that because she’s busty.” He was lucky that she wasn’t insecure or proo jealousy, though she suspected that if he didn’t know her so well he wouldn’t have said that. Then she narrowed her eyes in faux anger, “Hey, you two have had all week together, and I’ve had to suffer being alohis whole time. And no, the dreams don’t t. You’ve got some making up to do, and I’m going to make you pay for that.”

  It was his turn to py i. “I don’t uand what you mean. You had family and friends all around you for most of the week, how could you have been ‘alone’?”

  If everything here wasn’t infinitely repceable, or Mordecai less sturdy, Moriko would have been more careful, but since she didn’t have to worry about either of those the monk hopped briefly up onto her seat, then unched herself over the table, tag him hard and knog him over backward in his chair. Both chairs cracked uhe abuse. “Oh, let me show you what I mean.”

  By the time she was satisfied, the bastard had actually made her say ‘yes’ in respoo him calling her ‘mine’, but she’d paid him back with territorial markings front and back. Part of Moriko briefly worried about how Kazue might respond to seeing scratches and bite marks on him, but right now she just his, and that couldn’t hold her attention.

  She slept deep and soundly that night, and stirred slowly in the m to find Mordecai in a chair reading his book still, and was quite pleased to see him shirtless. And that he’d chosen to not use any healing magics. “Hmm, Kazue is still w on the library?” she asked with a zy yawn, then stretched before patting the bed o her. “Bring your book here, I want some m cuddles.”

  “Yes, I think she’s about halfway done,” he responded as he plied with her request. Moriko reached up to grab his head and pull him down for a long kiss before releasing him and curling up zily by his side.

  “Then you are miil she’s done. I want to be spoiled for a bit.” And something else she’d been thinking about since she’d made her deoriko cimed his attention and affe, had cuddles and versation, and wore even his avatar into exhaustion while leaving herself sorer than she’d been in over a decade. All of it was also aional assault on her owal barriers, aually she was able to break down and quietly cry a bit from simple emotional exhaustion as she told him all the things she’d old anyone else.

  The half-elf had no major traumas to reveal, her training and temperament had protected her from the handful of times someone had been too aggressive in their advances, but she did have decades of all the little things that she’d not had someone she wao talk to about. Even her sisters only learned a limited amount of things. As for her lovers, well, even the ones who she also sidered dear friends were exactly that. She wasn’t much more emotionally ied ihan other friends.

  So having made her choice of itment, Moriko also chose not to let herself hold back. She left herself as open and vulnerable as she could be, and was rewarded with the warmth of his affe and love as he ughed both with her and just a little bit at her in the ways she knew she deserved. It was the final piece she needed, feeling as emotionally safe with him as she had already felt physically safe.

  Moriko had wao do something like this with both of them, but it was easier to just focus on him for now. And she felt like it was going to be easier to open up to Kazue now that she’d do once. And after this, she was willing to say she was in love.

  Eventually they drifted into simple silent panionship as he finished his book and she let herself enjoy being this rexed and tent. Moriko let her mind drift towards Kazue for a moment, but the kitsune’s mind was still ed up in her project, and Moriko didn’t want to disturb her. A little after Mordecai finished his book, she stirred and sat up. “Mmm, thank you for feeding me breakfast and lun our suite, but I think we should go have di the table. e o’s go wash up, and over desert maybe you create an illusion to show me what she’s doing.”

  Mordecai pondered what to do with himself today. Yesterday had been both rexing and invigorating, and it had ted much of their emotional bonds, but after a ‘zy’ day like that Moriko had gotteless, and this m had ged into sturdy clothes and gathered up a bunch of bags to go out ‘hunting’. Kazue was still occupied with her library and making sure everything was w right.

  While teically he could start w on his path, he didn’t want to risk interfering with her process, and as long as there were two of them it robably best if one of them wasn’t totally engrossed in a project. So he decided to take a walk ao know some of the ganthros better. They were Kazue’s creation, and she was the more outgoing of them when she was fortable, so she khem better than he did.

  Since he didn’t o actually eat, he’d made sure all the kit ‘staff’ had known that they had the day off after Moriko had her breakfast, so all of them were in the warrens or practig up ohird floor. Mordecai decided to start there, and moved his avatar to the entrance, and walked the rest of the way to where several troops were practig. He didn’t want to actally interfere after all.

  When he walked into the room they were using for their exercises, one of them blew a whistle and shouted a short and. The training groups disehen snapped into formation as the one in charge strode towards him. Her fur had a slight reddish tio it and her armor had a 3-tailed fox engraved on its shoulder. He knew he hadn’t made any rank symbols, so this was their own design.

  “Captain Keelina at your service sir!” The ganthro announced as she snapped him a salute. Hmm, it was kind of adorable, but while they should take their duties seriously, he didn’t want them to take on a full military protocol and mi. For ohing, if he hem to defend the dungeon rather tha a challenge, a field army mi was the wrong choice. And for another, he’d like to reduy internal stratification. They were all loyal, but they were f a society of their own as well, and his words and as would influehem.

  “At ease.” Mordecai responded after returning the salute, keeping his thoughts off of his face. “That goes for all of you. This isn’t an iion, I just want to see how everything is going.”

  “Yes sir!” Captain Keelina replied enthusiastically, then turo the troops. “You heard him, gather ‘round!” The formations rexed, losing their sharp edges for a moment before turning into the more fluid motion of individuals.

  Mordeow allowed himself to smile at them. “Hello. I know not everyone is here, so I hope you’ll pass on my words to the others. I wao thank you all for your work the other day. I know it’s tough having lost to a foruch smaller than your own, even in that st fight, but don’t lose heart. I have known people like those explorers before, and though they may not have the same edge they had in their heyday, they were seasoned, hardened adventurers. You were at a rger disadvahan the numbers alone might suggest, and I think you did excellently.”

  Here he paused a moment to look over the group and see what their reas were. Not surprisingly, there was a mix of emotions, but for the most part, they seemed pleased with his impromptu speech, and most were clearly eager to do better ime. “However, a thought came to me as I watched you drill, and I’d like to offer a suggestion. Yhts the other day were for the sake of everyone’s experience, yours and theirs, especially as most people like them are more used to skirmishes than well-pnned battles.”

  “But this will not always be the case. I am aware that you know only so much of our existence before you were awakened and transformed, but as Kazue was once a kitsune of the outside world, I was ohe core of an a dungeon. There was an insidious threat to all that I held dear, and I took costly as to elimihat threat. Unfortunately, I have retly discovered that I failed to pletely elimihem. And one day, when they learn that I still live and have awoken, they will e here.”

  There were murmurs amongst the troops, and he gave them a moment before he tinued. “I do not know what form this foe will take whehreaten us, but I want you to add another sort of training to your experience: fighting dirty. I want you to learn to take full advantage of the terrain and your access to the warrens. When fighting a true threat, there is no reason for your archers, mages, and guo expose themselves more than needed. Fire from elevated and hidden positions. Your close bat specialists should find how best to ceal themselves until their foe is almost on top of their positions, and only then strike in a sudden fury. But before they ahemselves to respond to your attack, fallbad disperse, and be ready to strike agaihey least expect you.”

  He could see the idea was dissatisfying to many, especially Keelina, which was not surprising. “These are not tactics to be used against honorable foes, here to simply challehe dungeon and prove their worth. These are the tactics to be used against murderers. The cult I warn you of sughtered aire vilge of my desdants and their families and friends, down to every child they could find. I do not expect better of the cultists of today. While some amongst them may merely be misguided, as a whole they have no honor and seek merely to assuage their hatred and fear. The midst of battle is not the time to determine who might deserve better treatment. We need you to all be ready to make difficult choices.”

  He saw their faces harden in e, and he could feel the first stirrings of ge in a few of them. Yes, some would bee specialized in this sort of fighting now, though he couldn’t yet tell what sort of abilities they might develop. “Now, that said, there are other forms of fighting. Though less direct, your patriots are also doing their part and pulling their weight in defense of the dungeon. We are you, and in the scope of the world, our forces are weak. But we have started to form friendships and alliahose who came here the other day were from Moriko’s hometowers have beeo the that Kazue art of in her former life, and we hope to have guests from there soon. Both of these pces are part of a much rger kingdom that follows the same pahat we worship. Most of the children that came here would be sidered equally abhorrent to the cult, merely less dangerous and less urgent to take care of. By f alliances and friendships, all of us help protect each other.”

  Another pause to let that idea sink in, and then “To that end, I would also like to ask that you and all the anthros bee familiar with each other's duties, and at least petent in taking up each other’s tasks as needed. Anyone may find hidden talents and joys, and I want you to explore all that your life tain. In this process, some of you may find yourselves drawn to other fields, and likewise, some others may choose to bee soldiers. You are not bound exclusively to the duties you have now. You will all perform better if you are happy with what you do. So do not let the arts of war e you, be more than that. Be better than just a soldier, be a citizen of our realm who help support it in all ways.”

  That seemed to hearten and invigorate them, auro focus on the captain, who responded immediately to the ending of a speech. “Thank you sir, and we uand. We will all do our best to support everyone’s efforts!” She started a cheer and g, which felt like a bit mu, but he avoided wing.

  “Thank you all. Now, I am going to tinue walking for a while, I want to see how the pywrights and actors are doing then I will be visiting the warrens. I io socialize a bit more directly there, so if you see me sitting down with a mug of mead, don’t be afraid to joi my table.” His offer was sincere enough, but he also knew military mi well enough to know that most of the lower ranks would not be ined to take him up on it, for fear of their superior’s wrath if nothing else. His suggestion was in part to weaken that particur mi, but it would take a while for ges tate.

  Zagaroth