Bellona ached everywhere. That Gil hit like a giant, and she was gd she'd followed Mordecai's advice to treat every attack like it was the only attack she'd o block. Elemental power and divine prote had imbued her shields every time she'd moved to bloe of Gil's attacks, and they'd made her bones reverberate anyway. There was ohing that bothered her though, and as she reached for an appetizer she sent a question Mordecai's way, “Hey, when we were fighting Gil, there were a few times I could have sworn his sword sped up after I'd reinforced my shield.”

  “That sounds probable, he'd have held back less if he thought you could take the hit.”

  That was Gil holding back? Wait, “You set me up. You knew he'd hit harder if I was fully prepped.”

  “Huh, what a great idea you have there, that sort of thing would make freat challenge and training, don't you think?”

  She shook her head in exasperation and cut off the versation. Beside her, Xarlug chuckled, “Talking with Mordecai? Kazue doesn't get that sort of rea.”

  “Yeah, I figured out he was setting me up a little by tellio prepare so hard fil's strikes. That just enced the man to hit harder. 'Training' Mordecai calls it. Hah. Though it's kind of terrifying that Gil could increase the weight of his strikes mid-swing.”

  “Yeah, that one's a monster. I have old memories of stories about him,” he replied before taking a swig of his ale.

  Bellona g him in fusiohe odd phrasing but was hesitant to say anything. She found him iing, aaste in partners had always leaoward those who could match her strength and had a physique to show it, but there were some things about him she didn't uand. His fidend strength in battle were trasted by his uainty about so mu the rest of his life, and he'd seemed to be embarrassed the few times she'd 'caught' him reading. She didn't want to push, but she also didn't want to it until she knew him better.

  Her moment of silence was noticed, and he sighed, “I said that weird, didn't I? Um, I don't really want to talk about the details yet, but I know I act strange sometimes. I guess I say this much; some of the memories in my head aren't mine, and it makes it harder to know who I am, so I am trying to figure stuff out.” He gave her a small smile, “So, ya know, thanks for being patient with me and such.”

  Oh. Well, that sounded difficult. “That sounds like the sort of thing I should be uanding about,” she replied, trying to offer support without making the moment any heavier than it had to be in the middle of this party. “And, well, if you want to talk philosophy or theology, whether to figure things out or just to talk, I do that. You don't bee a champion of Amirume without being a little cultured.”

  “Hah, I might just do that.” They toasted and drank to that future versation, and switched to talking about the battle itself until Gil made his entrance. Watg his rea to Betty was just as eaining as Mordecai and Kazue had promised. It also demonstrated part of the power of a dungeon and caused Bellona to muse briefly about one of the more iing things about the various sapient races.

  Though most holy texts did not go into detail, there romise expressed at least on the primary text of every primogen, if with variants in w: Once a sapient species suffitly matures, love be fulfilled with children of any other mature species. Some of the other phrases are “e into their own”, or “bee fully self-realized”, and other, simir phrased. No matter how you parse it, it seems to read pretty clearly that it is thanks to divine will that almost all people are able to have children, no matter their ins. Which makes the obsession of the purity cults even stranger.

  An example of this blessing was walking toward them now; Fuyuko's luponi d its history was something that Bellona had read a book about ohough she'd never met one before. The ly that formed part of Fuyuko's ary had been desdants of various people cursed with lythropy and had sought refuge by f a nds inhospitable to most. They were somewhat simir to the shifters that her cousin had studied with, but that had more diverse ins.

  An avahat turned into a true ndslide had trapped both them and a small oni the same valley when they had each been looking to find new homes. her had the physiagical resources to leave, and their efforts had turoward survival. Such stressful situations in close quarters usually led to one of two results; fighting or having children. Fuyuko's existence spoke of the path that had been taken.

  By the time they had established a settlement together that could build resources beyond surviving the winter and they mao clear the road exiting the valley, they had effectively bee a new species. The reas to their existence had been mixed, to say the least, and the rest of the world had only known about them for about a tury.

  “Hello again Fuyuko,” Bellona said, putting aside those thoughts as she rose to greet the girl, “have a seat. This is Xarlug. I guess this is the tractors' and guests' table for this party.”

  “Friend and family is what we've been calling it,” interrupted Kazue's voice as an illusion flickered ie ay spot he table. “Especially as guests teically include the people who are here because they cleared the floors,” her illusioured toward the table with the adventuring party iion. “I sidered having more of our floor bosses join us, but I also wao keep the tables small enough to talk with each other.”

  While she'd been talking, Mordecai had taken a seat o the illusion and Fuyuko sat between him and Bellona, looking a little nervous. “Um, thanks. I'm not really used ta all this, so small seems good ta me.” Her at clearly marked her ins in Trionea, and was littered with the marks of having spent much of her life oreets.

  “Well, why don't you get to eating and put some meat on those bones while I fill you in on my experiences with this crazy pce, give you another view that came from the outside,” Bellona said as bunkin began to distribute the main dishes now that all the guests had arrived. It was rather o see Fuyuko's wide-eyed expression while she regaled the girl with the story of the events that had brought Bellona here, most of the other people she'd talked with about her adventures had been a little more experienced and io the excitement.

  Kazue and Li had been notable Exceptions, both of whom were watg with rapt attention once more. Wait, both? When had…? Bellona deliberately dropped that thought, it wasn't worth trying to figure out wheling had joihe table, for all she knew he'd been there all along without being noticed. It caused only a small fumbling iorytelling before she tinued on.

  “I've heard some stories 'bout these marks,” Fuyuko said as she stared at the back of Bellona's hand, “but, well, a lot of 'em said different things. Some people don't like you guys down here, you know? But really, they just show up when some entment decides you should have it?”

  Bellona made a mental o py painst Kazue if she wao win, the little fox's expression was so carefully ral that it was clear she knew something that was not being said here. Mordecai's expression hadn't made any notable ges, but Bellona suspected that was more due to experiehan ignorance.

  “As far as I know, yeah,” she replied, putting a very slight emphasis on the 'I'. Mordecai g her with a hint of amusement and shrugged slightly. Bellona was going to try to get more out of them ter, but she wasn't sure how much she was going to be told if it was a secret. “The only factors that are known is that you o be loyal to Kuic and for it to be useful to the kingdom for you to have it. I didn't know for sure at the time if that meant I was going to be helping these guys or if I would his power to defend Kuic. I retty certain I was going to be helping, especially after meeting Moriko, but there had to be a little bit of doubt until I knew for sure.”

  “So only someone born there get the mark?”

  “Teically, no,” Bellona said musingly, “it's happeo people who came to the kingdom ter, but it's rare.” It was also easy to guess part of the girl's line of thought, “It also requires swearing loyalty to Kuic above all other worldly-powers. Making the tract with Mordecai and Kazue was ditional upon their alliah Kuic, I don't think someone loyal to them first would qualify.”

  Fuyuko blushed at having been caught out, “I guess I was kind of obvious. It just, well, I saw ya all during that fight, and that sort of strength seems so far away.”

  “Don't worry about it, it's natural for the young to look for a faster path. But the Mark is rarely gifted to someo already strong, it's a boost to someone who has already found their path. And those exceptions have been in truly exceptional circumstances, moments that irospect were emergencies with no one else in a position to respond.”

  “Wow, that's so cool, Kuic must trust you lots,” Li said, standing at her side, “she gave you absolutely killer ink. Mordi! You should e up with some wicked magic tatts too.” Bellona had to spend a moment processing his sudden appeara her side along with his strange use of nguage.

  Mordecai, however, took it in stride, “I don't think I make anything quite that special, those are kind of unique, and even if I could, I don't think I should. But we might be able to e up with a design if enough people want something like that.”

  Li seemed satisfied with that and snagged a drumstick off the table, “I'm sure you'll make something rad Mordi, you make lots of o things,” he said while eating the drumstick, a sed one already in his other hand. But he'd lost i again and wandered off toward where the people who didn't fit at tables were gathered. He had made friends with most of the dungeon's bosses after all.

  Kazue sounded amused, “Oh, I'm sure my husband will e up with some ideas about the magic, but I bet that I'll be the one making the visual design. As, I am forever sigo be his artist sve.”

  He made a surrendering motion toward her, “You are better at that. I execute a design fine, but you have shown a fir for artistic creativity beyond my teical skills. And I am sure I find more uses for you than just your artistry, my love.” He gave her a too-i smile.

  As Kazue's illusion blushed, Bellona leaned in toward Fuyuko to stage whisper, “Yes, they are always like that. And from what I've been told, they were worse when she had her avatar here.” The silly woman didn't even have to make her illusion blush, she'd gotten so used to puppetting it to mimic how she'd act that it gave away things that it didn't have to.

  Zagaroth