Pg revived delvers or invaders somepce safe was an important part of maintaining Kazue's boon, so Mordecai turned part of his occasionally paranoid levels of preparedoward ensuring that the prison cells were incredibly safe pces.

  Each cell started off as a generous 40x40ft square and fifteeall. However, it immediately lost four feet in each dire in the form of a two-foot thick padding of soft fungi on every surface. The fungi squished well, making it nigh impossible to hurt oneself on, and was tough enough to make it difficult to tear off.

  However, it also dissolved readily, making it impossible to choke on if you did mao tear a piece off. And while it wasn't intended for eating, it was not only non-toxic but rather nutritious.

  Lighting came from overhead patches of mushrooms that glowed in a soft, yellowish light that would brighten and dim with the sun. A light dusting of spradually fell from the ceiling as well, each carrying a tiny mote of healing energy.

  For furnishings and aodations, everything was built out of more mushrooms and fungi. The door to the cell slid away on a track before swinging open onto a wide passage with another door at the end. This made it safe for inhabitants to deliver furly.

  All the fungi here were extensions of Saraag, enabling him to monitor the prisoners rather than relying on only the cores' attention, and the entire area was bed in the chaos aura Mordecai had implemehis growth put a strain on the floor boss to maintain, but given that Mordecai nning on making him one of their raid bosses that strain should be eased soon.

  The invasion had cleared their ma pletely and they had so much more ing in that one of Kazue's duties during the invasion had been to spend the massive amounts of ining mana. Several of their paths had beeher expanded or paralleled, such as the starting non-bat path whiow had a sub-sele room and visitors could select either the inal garden-based path or one of the two new paths: A fruit 'orchard' and a massive farm. The orchard was a bit of a stretch for the name given the number of berry bushes to help form the mazes, but it worked.

  Both of these new paths offered up lots of food options for people to gather, all of which the dungeon had enhahey wouldn't be peting with on farmers, these foods would pete with luxury markets while simultaneously making it so that lower-ine people who could make it to the dungeon would have a ce to try these foods themselves.

  She'd also begun the prep work for their new zo had held off on actually g new spatil they could both devote their full attention to the process.

  And right now they had a lot on their ptes. While Kazue was getting the dungeoored to normal operations aing the delvers moving, Mordecai went to visit a prisoner.

  Antoine gred at him from his curre. "e to gloat, have you? Or perhaps torture me? You'll get nothing from me."

  Mordecai shook his head. "Foolish boy, I don't need information from you. You've already given me so much. Just by sending an avatar at me, you've informed me that there is an ensved dungeon involved, and based on other information I already know the estate where it must be hidden. Also, you are noolitical hostage. All the other prisoners are going to be turned over to Kuic, it's not worth it for me to deal with them. But you, well, if your father is not willing to work with me, I am afraid you will live out the rest of your life in this dungeon."

  The lordling bared his teeth in a snarl, but Mordecai simply smiled. "Oh, and I captured the avatar iion. She's chosen to be called Deidre, and she has muicer aodations than you do. We'll be w to find any ks or flexibility in what orders she is bound by. She 't be given new ones directly right now after all. Oh, and thank you for helping grow our dungeon, you've given us so much mana we've expanded several of our zones into multiple paths and are going to add a new one now. It will be quite spectacur."

  Mordecai left the cell while Antoiried to process that information, satisfied with that bit of pettiness. He k etty, but by all the gods had this little prick ear. Now it was time to write a letter. He walked to the office, partially to give himself a little more time to think about what he was going to say and partially to give his core time to finish rearranging the office.

  He'd inally started with the decision te it for a meeting he wao do a bit ter, but then he decided that as long as he was doing that, he might want to future-proof it. So now the office was not only signifitly rger but held three desks, several chairs, and a small snacks and drinks bar. He wasn't certain Kazue or Moriko would ever actually use them, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have them avaible.

  At the ter desk, Mordecai pced several items made from materials brought into the dungeon; paper, ink, quill, wax, and a seal. Each had also been prepared by alchemiagical means, a process he'd started after Moriko had been io dih the royal family of Kuic. As he began writing he also gathered mana and chi around him, carefully wielding these energies in cert with his materials.

  Wheter was done, he carefully folded it and slid it into an envelope he made from another piece of paper. He sealed it with the wax and stamped it with his seal while activating its entment and thus finishing the magic he'd been weaving into the letter and envelope.

  There are many options on how to secure a message. Mordecai had decided to go with information rather than active protes. The wax seal was tougher than a normal wax to avoid triggering the entment because ohe seal was broken the wax would liquefy and impreghe envelope and the paper, leaving a matg mark on both. Additionally, every asped material iter was imbued with the mark of his aura, which could easily be read by most mages and priests. The alchemical treatments were in part to prime everything to accept his aura and then seal it, refusing further alterations

  It would be difficult to open the envelope or alter the tents without there being obvious signs. Not impossible, but it would be difficult and require both a skilled alchemist and a skilled mage. Even then, he'd probably be able to prove alterations others would miss if the alchemist wasn't able to identify and recreate the exact mixture Mordecai had created. Which would be incredibly difficult as his own blood was one of the ingredients. While it hadn't been part of his iion wheing this avatar, he effectively had a unique heritage that bore aspects of several other heritages such as dragons and nephilim.

  Ohat was done, he created several normal copies of the letter for others to read a for the people he wao meet with; Deidre, Bellona, Xarlug, Fuyuko, Shizoku, Derek, and three people who had arrived shortly after the Azeria troops: Orchid, Paltira, and Kansif. Kazue simply activated one of her ptforms in order to have a more visible presence.

  He waited for everyoo arrive before he began. "I don't need all of you here for any specific item I want to cover, but there is signifit overp between various groups and I see no reason to not be open in this situation. First, Deidre." The woman stiffened slightly as he addressed her. "I apologize again for how I bound you. I did not choose to do this lightly, but I sincerely believe that in the long run, it will be for your be as well as ours." She ined her head in aowledgment of his words, but that did not indicate agreement or acceptance.

  "To ehat everyone is clear on what has happened. Deidre is an ied avatar, sent here as part of the forces that attacked us. Giveality of the circumstances, I quickly came to two clusions: That her dungeon is the source of the Puritasi's wealth and that her core has been ensved for most if not all of that time. Deidre is also the stro person in this dungeon, including myself. She is strohan Akahana as well. Because of the circumstance of her capture, she was temporarily severely weakened, and I took advantage of that to engrave several binding seals into her flesh. I have left her mind and her words alone, but I have severely restricted her as. I do not like having taken this course, but there was no bination of ented items I currently create that would have held once she regained her strength. Direct bindings are not so easily overe once applied." He was certain there would be several other versations over the day or twarding this, but at least he wouldn't have to repeat this part and everyone would have the same information if they talked between themselves.

  "Oopic of prisoners. Deidre will remain here and be generally treated as a guest. We hope that despite the current circumstances we will be able to wirust and work to gain enough information that we eventually raid her dungeon and free her core." Teically, Deidre had not firmed this state of affairs, but she hadn't tradicted his assumptioher. "There is only oher prisoner we wish to retain, and this letter is in regard to him." Mordecai rose from the desk and handed out the copies of the letter he'd written, with the sealed envelope being hao Princess Orchid Apifera. "I expect that Bellona will pass on the tents of the letter so that arraigs be made to expedite its delivery."

  Baron Emmanuel Demidov of traberg,

  I hope you will be pleased to know that your son Antoine is alive and well, though I must inform you that he is beiained as a prisoner. Young Antoine led a rge merary for an assault upon a sory, and as the leader his release will not be readily obtained. I do not seek to create a great burden, but there are responsibilities we both must take care of. A lesson it seems your son has not yet learned.

  I believe that you and I are in agreement as to the most probable source of encement for such a reckless course of a, but I would suggest that you take no a nor show any sign of these thoughts. Instead, I suggest that you travel to the Azeria Mountain Dungeon in order to begiiations that may be us both. I aowledge that doing so without certain parties notig your aay be difficult, but I will leave that for you te and will not rush you.

  You should know that the first part of the iations will be you personally delving the dungeon. We discuss your options after your arrival, but I am reending the non bat path. This is in part a small payment in respect to your son's as, but I believe that this will give you important insight into our nature before more serious iations begin, and I hope that this insight may aid you in future instrus of young Antoine.

  Finally, I should like to mention that I am fond of Captain Ain Vitomir. Speaking with him may be advantageous for you, and I would not mind if he joined you on your visit here.

  With due regards,

  Lord Mordecai of the Azeria Mountain Dungeon.

  Mordecai waited for everyoo read the copies before he expined his iions. "The only reason I am taking the risk of tag Baron Demidov is that he sent Captain Vitomir here, and possibly some more subtle groups. There would be o do that if he was relying on the Puritasi, which suggests that he does irely trust them. The point of this is to make it easier to duct the assault which will free Deidre's dungeon. Deidre, to set expectations, you will be staying here for the duration. If you leave here, your core will know and that information may get passed on."

  Now he allowed himself a small smile. "As for the other prisoners, we are happy to let Kuic deal with them. I imagihat the merary pahey belong to will wish to ransom them lest the panies be marked as outws or however Kuic handles such matters. And Akuma has charges pending in your justice system I believe. And that means it is time to start revealing a few secrets. First, as some of you may have had the ce to notice, the dungeon is signifitly rger than has been apparent."

  Kazue's illusioured toward aform which flickered to life with an image of the trading post, whiow had the addition of four rows of gigantic stone pilrs. She smirked at the reas of those who hadn't had a ce to find out about them yet. "The town has been part of our territory from the beginning, and we've grown beyond that as well. I do hope some of you will have the ce to enjoy our Hunting Grounds, but be careful, the animals there may be more dangerous than they seem. Especially the bats. And these pilrs represent some preparatory work for our zone, but you will have to wait and see what we have in store for you!"

  She waited for everyoo recover from their surprise before tinuing. "Deidre, you appear fused. I imagine you have a lot of questions, and ter on, I would like to talk with you and ahem. I think it would be better for me to expin from my point of view, and I always call on Mordecai for teical details if needed. Now for the other secret we've been hiding. I gained a rare boon when we created the wetnds zone. One I didn't ked, and that Mordecai had been keeping his knowledge of a secret even as he guided me toward it."

  A moment of silencreased the anticipation before she finally announced. "For any given delver, guest, or invader in our territory, death will not cim them. Ohis merciful boon does have some requirements, such as doing our best to ehat any revived delvers are pced somewhere safe. It also seems like something others might take advantage of, so we have been keeping it a secret. Given that some of the prisoners have seen their fellows die, I think it is safe to say that the secret is out, so it seems better to ehe details are known rather than risk letting people think they are immortal while inside our territory."

  Mordecai waited for a moment before he said, "This growth is important. My avatar is not actually ied yet, we've been using the secret expansion of our territory outside of our inal borders to create that illusion. I am hoping that by spring we will be rge enough for me to bee fully ied."

  Deidre tilted her head in thought before her eyes opened wide. "How did you create an avatar that requires that much power in order to i its base form?"

  He chuckled softly. "That is something we discuss ter. Now, that is everything we o announce, but I imagihere are still many questions to be asked and deade. If you don't feel the o stay, feel free to take your leave. If you don't have the experieo know who you talk to about any subjects we covered here, then I ask that you only talk about it with those already present. If in doubt, you ask us or Princess Orchid." Fuyuko and Derek jumped at the annou of Orchid's identity, but he had now relieved Shizoku of the burden of keeping that secret.

  Mordecai suspected that Derek would love to leave, or even not have been part of this at all, but Shizoku needed experiences like this and Fuyuko o be part of this as a step toward reassuring her about what had happened with Deidre. He doubted he would want to leave while the others were here. Simir reasoning applied to several of the others here, and Mordecai wao make sure s were being unnecessarily kept between friends.

  As the versation wound down, Mordecai allowed himself to wonder what was taking his messengers so long to return. He'd suggested they take a few days to experiehe outside world as long as they were there, but the troops that had to be anized a here had arrived days ago.

  Zagaroth