While Kazue's core reparing to cim their zone, Moriko fidgeted with one of the ris' that Satsuki had brought with her. While she couldn't uand everything that her spouses were learning from these gifts, Moriko could uand the basics. Some of the new metals and alloys could mimic or even surpass mithral's physical properties without any hint of magical essehis did e with the drawback of not ag as if it was silver for various creatures, but if they could surpass mithral's durability and lightness it made an iing alternative and possible midoint toward adamantine.

  This item was much strahan those. The outer yers of the ft regle were obviously some sort of resin, though she'd never seen a resin so perfectly clear before. Moriko had thought it was gss until she had touched it.

  In the ter er-thin square with an improbable image of a mountaintop from the ter of a city that spread to the horizon. On top of that was some unknowering that looked like it was floating from the corregle, but it hysical illusion of some sort. Moriko couldn't find a hint of magi this either.

  "Are those letters, printed?" Moriko asked as she tilted the regle again. "They look perfectly squared off aly the same size."

  Satsuki sidered the question before nodding. "Close enough. They use the same word for the process as they use for the sort of mae printing you know of."

  Mordecai, Kazue, Moriko, and Satsuki were all gathered around the table where Satsuki had presehe gifts and they were now enjoying a te breakfast together while p over the curiosities presented by their visitor. Though maybe enjoying it was stretg things? Satsuki certainly seemed to be enjoying herself, but the rest of them were feeling a bit overwhelmed.

  Moriko put the tri back down oable and enjoyed some tea as she sidered the implications of what they'd been told. Satsuki was coy about details, though she would drop little hints based on what they figured out.

  She wouldn't have thought that learning the manufacturing process could be just as important to a dungeon, but the more that Mordecai and Kazue uood about how an object was made, the easier it was to design variations.

  Mordecai lightly flicked a small, nail-like item to make it roll around oable. However, instead of a straight, squared shaft, it had a round shaft with a 'bde' that spiraled around it and a rge, hex-shaped top. "You," he said with a sigh, "traveled between worlds via the Other Side, didn't you?"

  "Well," Satsuki replied, "I was enjoying a beachside vacation spot when dear Sylphi popped in, so I just grabbed a few items that came to mind. Oh, don't give me that look. Fihese I got from the local tourist shops, but then I got word you'd mao bee a faerie king. That's when I decided to get something special and -ordered those neckces. I'd have been here months ago if I hadn't had to wait on them. It's a good thing I used a divinatioo ask how many neckces I'd want t as gifts, I was expeg to give out three, not five."

  He closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "These memories are still buried, but I've dug up some of what I know. I don't think you were supposed t these across."

  Satsuki waved off his . "My dear, you always worry too much about those sorts of things, these are just passive items. I didn't bring you any of the oys involving, um, 'structured gss alloys that use precise electriputs to perform tasks'." A fond smile crossed her lips as she added, "The engineer I elicited that description from was cute whearted talking about his work iail. But he did tell me that it was a very oversimplified summary."

  "That," Mordecai said as he tilted his head slightly, "does not sound like a familiar description."

  "No, it wouldn't." Satsuki agreed. "Once your avatars reached the threshold of mortal power and mastery, you never kept them for more than a few years. While it was fun occasionally sedug a new variation of you, I'd have loved to see you push an avatar to its true limits."

  The way that Satsuki g Kazue and Moriko whealked about sedug Mordecai's previous avatars gave Moriko the distinct impression that the ail was sidering what it would be like to seduce all three of them.

  Kazue was only half paying attention to the versation as she stared at the straall metal cup in her hand. "My core's figured out how this works," she muttered, "but my brain is still having trouble with the idea that this works without magic." The inside of the cup was filled with hot tea, but the outside was still cool to the touch.

  Moriko smiled at her wife and said, "I'd have thought you would be pying with those pens and the wood-ed graphite stick."

  "Those were easy to figure out," Kazue said, "I think we even work out how to make them without magic. Though, admittedly, the inks are kinda weird, and I’m not sure how they made those more liquidy inks in the bright colors with the sparkles. This thing, however," she tapped the cup, "I don't know how they made it without any air or other stuff between the yers."

  So many straems, like the weirdly shiny sword. Mordecai had said that it wouldn't rust in most ditions, but it was far too brittle for bat. Again, not magic, but because of how it was made and what it was made with. Moriko frow Satsuki as she thought about what Mordecai had just said, that Satsuki wasn't 'supposed' t certain items here. "Wait, are there rules about what you briween worlds?"

  Mordecai's "Yes" and Satsuki's hand waved "Sort of" mushed together as they respo the same time. Mordecai gave her a hard look and Satsuki raised her hands up in the air.

  "Fine, fine, you take this one darling. You know I don't really care about these rules." She said.

  He sighed then turned baoriko and Kazue, who had stopped staring at her cup. "It's plicated. The exact memories are buried still, but I had kept this knowledge he surface yers, so I didn't have to unpack much. There are multiple sets of rules, though some are more opinions thaions. First, worlds that start to accumute widespread, advanced knowledge also tend to start w about the spread of that knowledge. Sometimes the is based on fears about giving knowledge to potential enemies, and sometimes the is having an undue influen cultures that do not have equivalent knowledge. It doesn't matter if that knowledge is magical or not, and some knowledge is more restricted than others. But these are mortal, local ws, and are teically not relevant outside of the worlds and realms that set them."

  Ah, their hubby was in teacher mode again. Moriko and Kazue exged amused gnces before turning baordecai with extremely eager and attentive expressions.

  This caused Mordecai to pause and look at them suspiciously for a moment before he smiled. "I'll try not to make this too long," he said dryly. "Now, as for divine rules, or rather, opinions, well, they are divided."

  Mordecai began tig off on his fingers as he went through the Empyreal Pilrs. "Zagaroth has taken no stahat I have ever heard; Amirume is okay with limited, well-moderated exges to help civilization and culture advahout wiping out the younger one; Mericume is fih everyone doing as they please; Sakiya thinks it is fine for individuals to retrieve knowledge from other pces and bring it bae, so long as the person is being true to what they want; and Ozuran thinks that the local rules and ws should be honored in such matters."

  Satsuki made a disgusted sound. Moriko was fairly certain that the ail was a follower of Mericume. While Kazue was not quite so dismissive of inve rules, it was a on trait amongst the most devoted of the moon goddess's followers.

  The interruption was ignored as Mordecai tinued, "Li is oblivious of course. The elemental lords tend to not care much, so long as their roles are still respected and hohe elven pantheon mostly leans toward keeping the spread of knowledge moderated while the dwarven paends to be eager to see the spread of any skill or teique that involves crafting and creation, given that hand crafting and creation are preserved as well. It is usually fairly easy to guess for divinities whose opinions you don't know. I only imagihat Dormire is happy to have this sort of knowledge and power spread through his followers, while Diasthian's nature as a protector probably makes her much more cautious."

  Moriko supposed that made sense, but she did have one question. "You said these were opinions, not rules?"

  He nodded and said, "Yes. In the end, this is a matter of free wills being exercised, even if they are in opposition. So the gods give their opinions, but few have as or strict rules oopic."

  Kazue tilted her head and asked, "So why haven't we heard about these opinions before? And how did she get this stuff here?"

  "Society at rge has not o know about these opinions on our world," Mordecai replied, "and Satsuki is a mistress of smuggling. She didn't travel through the equivalent of a port city. Instead, she hopped directly into Faerie and made her way across the faerie nds of that world and then whatever she fouween those realms and the faerie realms adjat to our world."

  Well, wasn't that just disturbing? Moriko didn't know much about what y between worlds oher Side, but she khat that just as Faerie was expansive when correted to pces where there was a lot of life and magic, the areas of the Other Side that correted to the void between worlds were strange pces of pressed and twisted spad were home to dehat made faeries a positive delight to be around.

  "But I o head down now," Mordecai said. "Kazue's core is just about doh setting up the new zone and I have some manual work to do to reinforce the safeties on part of our pn."

  Once he was gone, Satsuki's attitude became spiratorial. "Well, now for some girl talk, yes? Mordecai, I am asking for privacy, thank you."

  Moriko could feel the vague sense of his presence fade. He hadn't been focused here, but she could tell that he was now deliberately ign the room. It was clear that Satsuki uood how dungeons worked, in addition to knowing how Mordecai specifically would react.

  Kazue eyed the older kitsune woman warily. "What do you want?"

  "Now, isn't that a lovely and open-ended question," Satsuki purred. "If we are limited only by what I want, well, I do have a lot of desires that both of you could help me with."

  Moriko's heart was suddenly beating faster in respoo those words and the promise carried in Satsuki's tone. A mixture of panid anger drove her to her feet with a shocked Kazue only a beat behind. "Don't you dare," Moriko hissed at Satsuki, "I've made my feelings clear on the subject."

  "Yes, you have," Satsuki replied in an amused voice, "and while your wife feels the same, I think she also caught a yer you didn't. Now Luv, why don't you tell us what you think I really want?"

  Kazue shivered before she answered in a quiet voice. "You want Mordecai. All three of us, really, but him most of all. And if you could get to him by sedug us first, you would."

  Moriko gaped at Kazue.

  "Very good," Satsuki said with satisfa, though Moriko thought she heard a note of sadness in her voiow. "I've always enjoyed my time with him, though it also always ended in a fre-up of some kiween us. This is the stro I've ever seen him too, and I don't mean trifles like power. This is the first time the man has been effectively immuo me, and I have to admit I am a bit jealous."

  This was getting weird. Moriko sat back down and rubbed her head as she tried to figure out what was going on.

  "How badly do you want it, I wonder?" Kazue mused. "I imagine you like being in trol, even if it's by provoking the other person into ag. But do you want Mordecai and us badly enough to give that up?"

  Satsuki sounded mildly surprised as she answered, "I think I might. But please, don't tease me. You are pying with the idea, but I tell you don't mean it. At least, you don't mean it enough."

  "No, I suppose not," Kazue replied before sitting down again herself. "So what was the point of that little demonstration?"

  Moriko felt a little lost here. For all that she had been with so many people, those had been straightforward dealings. Maybe she should finally get around to reading some of Kazue’s books. Her 'i' Kazue seemed to know some things Moriko didn’t. "I would like to know what is going on too."

  "A mix of things are going on, of course," Satsuki said with a smile. "My offer was sincere enough, even if I didn't expect to be taken up on it. There's a reason Norumi is my only child, and there were no mistakes involved on my part. I'm also venting a little bit of frustration."

  She waggled a fi both of them. "You ruined my pns you know. I studied those wards, and there was a narro ing up in a few decades. A period where the wards would have been weak enough to break without Mordecai being so starved as to be in serious danger yet. It was going to be a fresh start, just the two of us. Maybe if I could just have had an avatar of his be so close to his core self..."

  Satsuki sighed. "It robably a foolish idea. But none of his avatars I've been with had been as tered on his core's personality as this one. So there e and at least he'd be alive."

  There was a moment of silence while Satsuki gathered her thoughts back together. "Enough of that. It was also a test, I o see and feel your reas. You weren't just defending yourselves, you were defending Mordecai and his emotions. If I'm not going to be able to have him again, then I o at least make sure he's well-situated and isn't going to get hurt. So, I am pleased, even if it es at a cost to me."

  Moriko and Kazue looked at each other as they processed this fession of Satsuki's, but the woman wasn't do.

  "I also have some advice," she said to them. "Don't let Mordecai retire this avatar. Possibly ever. He's had his opportuo explore variations of his personality and he's developed a staggering breadth of power and skill, even if its depth is currently g. I think it is time he stuck with one indefinitely. The new experience is going to be no longer hopping from persona to persona. Most people don't get to do that and I think it had simply bee an addictive habit for him. Ohat I don't think will help him grow anymore."

  "Are you sure you leave it at that?" Kazue asked.

  "Yes," Satsuki said with a resigned sigh, "I'm afraid so. Let's be ho, my grand scheme to beordecai's savior would probably have fallen apart eventually. I get dangerous ideas around him. Maybe it's time to truly let go. I almost made a very dangerous mistake, early on in his war."

  "Oh?" Moriko asked. She wasirely sure she wao know, but she was also morbidly curious.

  Satsuki nodded, her gaze unfocused, as she recalled the memory. "I had made sure Norumi was safe of course. But after that, I was tempted to go to him, to tempt and provoke him. It's hard to get the man to entirely lose trol of himself, but at the time Mordecai was lost in his rage. I'd have made myself a target for him to vent some of his anger, grief, and pain. With all his old avatars active, it would have been quite an experience. After that, when he had calmed enough to think more rationally, I'd have joined him on his hunt."

  She smiled wistfully at the thought. "It would have been a grand hunt too. Not this mad war to raze everythiween him and his foes, no, not with me at his side. With his pain eased, we could have focused ourselves and been more patient, w over the decades auries to stamp out every st trace of that damned cult. But what would that have made of him? I'd have saved Mordecai from the backsh that got him sealed, but I'd have lost him to a colder, crueler version of himself. It would have beeched into his core and shown in any future avatar."

  Satsuki shook off those thoughts and memories. "No, it was for the best that instead, I helped mitigate the damage his war dragons did. Now the Mordecai that I care for so much is still here, and the happiest I think I've ever seen him. That part stings you know. But I'll be fine."

  "Are you sure?" Moriko asked. The way that Satsuki felt about Mordecai seemed so plicated and painful that Moriko was very uain about how to tread this ground.

  "Oh, yes, I'm sure," Satsuki replied. "There are ways for me to gain some satisfa from the situation. For one, I entirely io spoil that Fuyuko of yours. It'll drive him a little mad trying to figure out what my hidden motive is, and that will be eaining. Plus the girl seems like she'd be a sweetheart to spoil and not likely to bee rotten from it. I'd also be happy to teach you all of his secrets I know, especially the ones he doesn't know that I know."

  "Um, thank you?" Kazue said uainly.

  "You are quite wele, dear. It won't do to let him bee too pt after all. I have all sorts of juicy tidbits for you."

  They were about half an hour into gossiping about Mordecai's sordid past when a sudden sense of worry swept out from Kazue's core.

  As soon as they uood what was happening, Moriko and Kazue started scrambling to get into finery fit for the occasion while telling Satsuki what was happening.

  "Directly into the underworld?" she mused. "Oh, this should be eaining. I have to go along. Oh, don't worry, I py the role of attendant well enough if it suits me. In this case, it suits my curiosity. Well, let me help get you ready so we be off quicker."

  Zagaroth