No Need For A Core? 137: RoyalLi

The next morning found Kazue trailing slightly behind Moriko and Captain Vitomir as they toured the small city. She agreed with the concept of the plan, which was to be friendly enough to try and learn … well, learn if there is anything to learn, to begin with. The problem is that her only experiences with people from the Trionean Empire were the ones who tried to kill her barely more than a month ago.

Now, she didn’t know that there was any connection, and it certainly made sense that curious people from far away would be interested in their dungeon, and the captain at least seed like a decent person. But it still bothered her deep down, in an utterly irrational way that she couldn’t shake off.

The three of them eventually stopped for lunch, which is where Alain drew Kazue into the conversation. “Everyone seems to be a lot friendlier with you as my escort,” he said to Moriko, “Though it seems your wife is less pleased.” He faced Kazue directly. “Have I offended you?”

“Huh? Ah, no, sorry.” Kazue took a deep breath. “It’s nothing you did and not your fault. It’s just, well, the only people from the empire I t before also tried to hurt , and part of my brain won’t let that go. I know it should have nothing to do with you, but I can’t not think about it.” While she’d done her best to not pay attention to the prisoners, she still heard them talking and knew their accent, and heard it every ti the captain spoke. “I don’t really hold it against you, I’m just dealing with my own stuff.” Kazue gave the man a more sincere smile as she decided to tease Moriko. “Though if it makes you feel better, I’m pretty certain you’d have had a different experience with Moriko when she was single. She does appreciate competent confidence.”

Moriko blushed slightly, caught off guard by the sudden teasing, and then shrugged with a wry smile. “It’s quite possible. I’d still have turned your man down, he was pretty enough really but I didn’t like his attitude. You are much more charming. But to be clear, I am very attached to my two loves, and whatever my ‘wild youth’ might have been like I have moved on with my life since then.”

“Ah, well, I am sorry to know my countryn have caused you distress, but I am glad that I have not offended. And I consider myself praised by that flattery.” Alain’s face had been somber at first, but he smiled during that last sentence. “And I understand the difference. So of my n… well,” He shrugged, “They are sotis poorly educated, and have fanciful notions that do not quite align with the reality. I think it funny that if a certain soldier did not hold to his assumptions, he might find his fantasies more likely to co true, but I do not think he would find it so funny. But it is a learning experience for him.”

Moriko pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Does he need a direct lesson in humility? I’ve been known to provide those on occasion, and have earned enough of Sakiya’s grace to even heal any bones I break.”

Alain barked a laugh. “Hah! No, tempting as that is to see, I believe in private punishnt, public praise. And I think that would be public punishnt.” He shrugged. “On the other hand, if he manages to do sothing stupid before we leave tomorrow, I will not hold a grudge so long as he is fixed afterward. I do not think it likely though. I’m already giving him short rations.”

Kazue raised an eyebrow. “I thought you guys were on leave.”

“Yes, we are,” He replied, nodding. “But I have been paying for their food, officers get paid much better after all.” Alain gave an evil grin. “Which ans I am not paying for his food for a little bit, and he must pay out of pocket. And so he will be buying as cheap as he can, I am sure.”

Moriko grinned. “Now you sound like my master back at the temple. And I think you would like my husband, given the right opportunity.”

“And now you have given the chance to be curious. I admit, I was expecting to et him when I t up with you two this morning.”

“He’s not in town right now,” Kazue said, unable to hold back a slight smile. “But perhaps you will get to et him in the future.”

Alain looked between the two of them suspiciously. “I think there is a joke I am not getting.”

Moriko patted his shoulder. “There is, and I think you will appreciate it when you get it.”

After lunch, they continued the ‘tour’, though Kazue did notice Moriko skipped over her parent’s shop. As for conversation about the dungeon, Moriko described the basics with a bit more flavor and depth, and emphasized that the dungeon was very strict when it ca to rule-breakers. “Which doesn’t an that it won’t offer exceptions or anything, but it wants that sort of thing arranged first. Deciding on your own to make your own rules, well, then the dungeon no longer thinks of you as guests to challenge to a ga, and instead considers you intruders who are there to hurt it.”

It felt a little weird for Kazue to hear Moriko calling Mordecai and herself a singular ‘it’, but the terminology fit for being discreet for now.

Mordecai gave up on making progress in his ring crafting for a few days, another set of visitors had arrived and things were going to be complicated. Li had managed to appear right after Mordecai had greeted the group, and was staring at a certain six-tailed kitsune in awe. Perhaps Mordecai should have avoided using her title.

“Wow, you’re a real princess? I never t a real princess before I think, but aren’t princesses always running around in disguises to get away from marriages or being kidnapped to be forced to marry soone?” Li gasped. “Mordi, did you kidnap her? You already have two wives! Are you going to be in trouble? I don’t think I’d want to be in trouble with them they’re scary like the ti that …” his eyes defocused like he was reliving a traumatizing experience, and mumbled sothing about ‘soft’ before he shook it off.

“Princess, we have all sorts of places for you to hide from a bad guy! I bet you could hide real well in the mushroom ki- er, forest. The whole fifth floor is cool and creepy and has all sorts of shadowy lights and there is this cool river that glows when the tiny mushrooms float down it and the neatest water snakes and flying snakes and you should see the bunny tribes going to war they are so aweso with the swooping and swishing and clanging and there’s a really cool mushroom king guy he doesn’t talk much but he listens really well and seems like a neat guy and made these really cool glowy mushrooms for to find and eat and he likes to play gas with and Mordi and there’s this really fun sli girl she’s all sorts of aweso with the bouncing and the way she can change her shape or beco hard and all sorts of neat tricks she’s super fun to play with and you just gotta try playing with her she can make you bounce really high like the bestest trampoline ever!”

Mordecai wasn’t sure what a trampoline was, and he wasn’t about to ask. And he was going to be quite the awful host: he was going to sacrifice a princess. “Li, that’s a great idea! You should show her around! I bet you can show her all the best hiding spots.”

“Oh yeah I can do that and show her where the best honey is and do you like shiny stones cause they have the neatest shiny stones like this really cool one I found the other day it’s kind of like this other one I have but silvery and icy instead of gold and fire.” The wide-eyed Princess Orchid took the ti to shoot Mordecai a glare before she put on her most graceful smile and followed the little ratling, appearing to all the world to be giving her utmost and fascinated attention to Li’s ramblings.

Orchid’s three companions were doing their best not to laugh, but Paltira also looked torn with worry. Mordecai smiled at him. “She’ll be fine, truly, but if you feel the need, you can follow them. Well, I have no problem with you trying to follow them at least, I can’t control whether or not you’ll actually be able to, since all his attention is focused on her.”

Paltira hesitated, then shook his head with a sigh. “No, I know I worry too much. It is probably best I do not.”

The orc woman accompanying them clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hah, I knew you were a wise man. I always liked you since the day we t you, though I am sorry she put you through the wringer first. Now, introductions. You have got to be Mordecai. I am Kansif, forr bodyguard and babysitter for her Royal Highness there, and cousin to your ambassador or whatever it is they said Bellona is going to be here. Any chance she’s shown up yet? No? Eh, not surprising,” Kansif grinned broadly, “And this is hilarious, the little flower there is as smart as she thinks she is, but it’s nice to see her thrown off balance now and again. Now, you got a place where Xarlug and Paltira can grab a drink or sothing? Since her Highness is occupied, I can fill you in on the details of our visit. And then maybe I can have a drink too.”

Mordecai exchanged forearm clasps with the woman. “I believe I can arrange sothing. Ah, I know,” He smiled wickedly, “I think you two might enjoy this particular elixir. If either of you can finish a whole bottle without going unconscious, I’ll give you a prize. And it’s a prize each if you both manage it.” He pointed at Paltira. “And no spells. Your fortitude and training only.” The monk and the tiefling both looked skeptical, but then Mordecai pressed tal bottles stoppered with gold into their hands. “You can keep the bottles and the gold win or lose, but the elixir has to be drunk here and the opal is too expensive to be handing out as loot just yet.”

All three of them stared at the pair of bottles, but Kansif broke the silence first. “Ah, can I take on that challenge as well?”

Xarlug groaned. “Give a break lady, we already know you can drink all three of us under the table.” He sounded disgruntled over that fact, but Paltira just looked amused.

“I was thinking after you caught up on the details of your visit.” Mordecai replied as a pair of bunkins arrived to escort Paltira and Xarlug to the nearby tavern ‘outside’ of the dungeon.

Kansif nodded, then tilted her head, “Wait, you didn’t have those before, and your avatar is out here,” She narrowed her eyes as she started to formulate a question, but Mordecai interrupted her with a grin.

“Yes, but I’m trusting you based on my trust of Orchid and the rest of the clan. I have a guess as to why you are here, so it’s sothing you’ll need to know anyway.”

She grunted, then shrugged. “Well then, short version is that we get to all be your bodyguards for a bit. At the least until my cousin gets here, maybe longer. Took a bit for the higher-ups to decide to send us, we knew you had so help for now but it’s also best to not rely on divine providence, yeah?” She shook her head, “And they are still working on getting a story out of that lot you handed over to try and figure out how big the threat is, but that sort of thing takes ti,” Kansif grinned. “Well, not the way I would like to do it with so of these people, but maybe that’s why my cousin is a Champion while I’m just a knight. She’s nicer than .”

“Just a knight?” Mordecai asked, “I believe I heard you were a Marked as well.”

Kansif scratched the back of her head as she laughed. “Yeah, trained with so shifters. Turns out that a wolf’s nose and a cat’s eyes are real useful for tracking down stray princesses late at night.” She chuckled, “It also gives an edge over even Paltira there when it cos to drinking. I’m as strong as an ice bear, sturdy as a moose, and as stubborn as a dire wolverine.”

That would explain her aura, and it gave Mordecai a starting place to see if he could puzzle out exactly how this whole Marked thing worked. “Well, why don’t I give you a chance to show those two boys up then? We can discuss future plans later, and I don’t think we are in imdiate danger.” And he had a few quick-sober redies prepared if it ca to that, alchemy was a useful art. “Oh, Moriko and Kazue’s avatar aren’t ho right now, so you’ll only be directly talking to , but Kazue’s core can still hear you as can mine, and both of us can always pass a ssage through the bunkin if I’m not available.”

Once he had her settled with Paltira and Xarlug, Mordecai got to split his attention between trying to keep track of Li and Orchid, puzzling out the information that Moriko was getting from the captain, and helping Kazue make sure everything was running smoothly through the rest of the dungeon. Even with two cores and an avatar brain, there was a lot to process and think about.

“Um, Mordecai? Are there really magic mushrooms that can make soone a giant that can jump over castles?” Kazue asked in confusion.