No Need for a Core?

Moriko pondered the description of the library as she savored the last of her confection, a rare treat called ice cream that was a sample of what was being offered in one of the shops. “You know, this is considered rich people's food. Keeping up the magic to make frozen treats is normally expensive, but you are only charging a few coppers per serving? And the laganthros are going to be experimenting with the different fruits you’ve created. Yeah, once word gets 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 come from beans that are supposed to be hard to grow in most places. But a dungeon can make anything grow once they have a sample, right? Want to break a market or three?”

She enjoyed the look Mordecai was giving her, put on her best ‘innocent’ 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 enjoyed the feel of his affectionate amusement over their link. “Love, I think you should leave that style of seduction 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 playfully at him. “You just say that because she’s busty.” He was lucky that she wasn’t insecure or prone to 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 alone this whole time. And no, the dreams don’t count. You’ve got some making up to do, and I’m going to make you pay for that.”

It was his turn to play innocent. “I don’t understand 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 replaceable, 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 launched herself over the table, tackling him hard and knocking him over backward in his chair. Both chairs cracked under the abuse. “Oh, let me show you what I mean.”

By the time she was satisfied, the bastard had actually made her say ‘yes’ in response to 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 needed this, and that concern couldn’t hold her attention.

She slept deep and soundly that night and stirred slowly in the morning 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 working on the library?” she asked with a lazy yawn, then stretched before patting the bed next to her. “Bring your book here, I want some morning cuddles.”

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

“Then you are mine until she’s done. I want to be spoiled for a bit.” And something else she’d been thinking about since she’d made her decision. Moriko claimed his attention and affection, had cuddles and conversation, and wore even his avatar into exhaustion while leaving herself sorer than she’d been in over a decade. All of it was also an emotional assault on her own mental barriers, and eventually she was able to break down and quietly cry a bit from simple emotional exhaustion as she told him all the things she’d never told 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 wanted to talk to about. Even her sisters only learned a limited amount of things. As for her lovers, well, even the ones who she also considered dear friends were exactly that. She wasn’t much more emotionally invested in them than other friends.

So having made her choice of commitment, 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 affection and love as he laughed 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 wanted to 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 done it once. And after this, she was willing to say she was in love.

Eventually they drifted into simple silent companionship as he finished his book and she let herself enjoy being this relaxed and content. Moriko let her mind drift towards Kazue for a moment, but the kitsune’s mind was still wrapped 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 lunch in our suite, but I think we should go have dinner at the table. Come on, let’s go wash up, and over dessert maybe you can create an illusion to show me what she’s doing.”

Mordecai pondered what to do with himself today. Yesterday had been both relaxing and invigorating, and it had cemented much of their emotional bonds, but after a ‘lazy’ day like that Moriko had gotten restless, and this morning had changed 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 working right.

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

Since he didn’t need to actually eat, he’d made sure all the kitchen ‘staff’ had known that they had the day off after Moriko had her breakfast, so all of them were in the warrens or practicing up on the third 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 practicing. He didn’t want to accidentally 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 command. The training groups disengaged then snapped into formation as the one in charge strode towards him. Her fur had a slight reddish tinge to 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 laganthro 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 mindset. For one thing, if he needed them to defend the dungeon rather than present a challenge, a field army mindset was the wrong choice. And for another, he’d like to reduce any internal stratification. They were all loyal, but they were forming a society of their own as well, and his words and actions would influence them.

“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 inspection, I just want to see how everything is going.”

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

Mordecai now 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 wanted to thank you all for your work the other day. I know it’s tough having lost to a force so much smaller than your own, even in that last 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 larger disadvantage than 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 reactions 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 next time. “However, a thought came to me as I watched you drill, and I’d like to offer a suggestion. Your fights 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-planned 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 once the core of an ancient dungeon. There was an insidious threat to all that I held dear, and I took costly actions to eliminate that threat. Unfortunately, I have recently discovered that I failed to completely eliminate them. And one day, when they learn that I still live and have awoken, they will come here.”

There were murmurs amongst the troops, and he gave them a moment before he continued. “I do not know what form this foe will take when they threaten 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 gunmen to expose themselves more than needed. Fire from elevated and hidden positions. Your close combat specialists should find how best to conceal themselves until their foe is almost on top of their positions, and only then strike in a sudden fury. But before they can organize themselves to respond to your attack, fallback and disperse, and be ready to strike again when they 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 challenge the dungeon and prove their worth. These are the tactics to be used against murderers. The cult I warn you of slaughtered an entire village of my descendants 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 outrage, and he could feel the first stirrings of change in a few of them. Yes, some would become 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 compatriots are also doing their part and pulling their weight in defense of the dungeon. We are young yet, and in the scope of the world, our forces are weak. But we have started to form friendships and alliances. Those who came here the other day were from Moriko’s hometown. Letters have been sent to the clan that Kazue was part of in her former life, and we hope to have guests from there soon. Both of these places are part of a much larger kingdom that follows the same pantheon that we worship. Most of the children that came here would be considered equally abhorrent to the cult, merely less dangerous and less urgent to take care of. By forging alliances and friendships, all of us can 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 other laganthros become familiar with each other's duties, and at least competent 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 can contain. In this process, some of you may find yourselves drawn to other fields, and likewise, some others may choose to become 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 consume you, be more than that. Be better than just a soldier, be a citizen of our realm who can help support it in all ways.”

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

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