As they walked Moriko told her story, going into only a little more detail than she had for her peers. It took somewhat longer however as there were also interruptions, ranging from people asking Master Theodoric a question to him pausing to correct someone’s stance or movements. After finishing the tale, she added, “I have to say, practicing with Betty helped me with mastering my wind strikes, though the wake of her punches was different. It was less solid of a blow, and more like it vibrated through you.”
“Hmm. There are a few shouts that can rattle the body that way, but I think it would divert you to train in those. I should like to meet this husband of yours as well, it sounds like he’d be interesting to spar with, but I doubt I’ll have the free time to make that trip soon. That is not the purpose of your visit however, is it?”
“No Master. I have two things that nag at me even after deep meditation. The first has to do with one of our visitors. He is a warrior monk who follows the Twins, and is stronger than me I believe, but he was also able to call upon divine healing like a priest, as well as some other prayers. I admit to a bit of jealousy here, and I don’t know if it’s something specific to his path, but I think that if it is not, I might want to pursue expanding my horizons that way.”
Theodoric nodded thoughtfully. “And the other?”
“Erm,” Moriko hesitated a moment. “Well, I’m not entirely sure actually. Which is part of the problem. I feel like I am missing something. I am certain that I am not failing to be true to my passions, but something feels off. And this is what drove me to come here now. The other is a more selfish pursuit, but this is more like I am not being all I could be for my spouses.”
“I see.” Her master stroked his beard for a moment. “I may have the start to a solution for both of those, but I need to bring up another matter first.” He had altered their course to be away from everyone else and came to a stop as he faced her. “Moriko, answer true to your heart. Will you actually be coming back to us?”
The question stunned her for a moment. Somewhere in the back of her mind had always been an assumption of resuming her duties here, she had never considered the idea that she might not. But now that the question had been put to her, Moriko considered it with all due seriousness. A soft sadness filled her as she came to her answer. “No, I don’t think I will be. Not like that.” She would come by to visit when she could, but this was not going to be her home anymore. Which meant she wasn’t going to be working here either.
He nodded as if that was the answer he was expecting. “Which unfortunately means that we need to take you off our payroll. You’ve been here long enough to get a small stipend, which I can increase a little if you are going to be available for us to call upon if we need your skills, along with contractor pay for you and any who accompany you should we do so, and of course, you will always have food and lodging available for you and guests, so long as it’s not abused. Basically, you get most of the perks still, just not the pay or the permanent room.”
Moriko sighed softly, but it made sense. “So I need to pack everything, then. I was already planning on renting a small cart, so it won’t make much of a difference.”
“I’ll always be available for advice of course, and if there is anything you’d ask of us before you leave, I’ll see what we can do. You can keep your room and will be paid through the final day of this stay, so you don’t need to rush either,” Master Theodoric reassured her.
“Thank you. Well, there was one other thing I was thinking of. I don’t know how much you know about how living dungeons work, but because they can copy something exactly, they can be archivists, and the copy never degenerates. Mordecai and Kazue have already started doing this for the temple in Riverbridge, so I thought the churches here might want to do something like that as well.” Moriko shrugged. “I mean, I could see lots of organizations being interested, anyone with generational record keeping who already has newer copies might want to donate older copies. The trade is that they get more information, and everyone else gets permanent access to the material.” She grinned at a passing thought. “Mordecai and Kazue would certainly appreciate being able to have fewer duplicates in their library.”
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“That is not a bad thought.” Her Master mused. “I’ll talk to the Grand Master and spread the word, see who might want to be involved. And word of your spouses has spread amongst the higher ranks of the temples and the noble houses, we’ve not had a dungeon inside or even near the kingdom borders before, so there is no real protocol in place. It’s causing quite a stir, and we’d like to get relationships settled before the news spreads too far. Hmm. I guess Danuana already knows, but we’re on good terms with them, so it shouldn’t be an issue. And it’s not like the empire can send any forces without both kingdoms engaging them, so you should be safe, but Living Dungeons are a rarity, so everyone is concerned that we take due caution. Word is spreading more slowly via travelers, but expect random groups to show up before long.”
“Huh. This might be a bigger haul than I thought.” She could try running back while hauling a load, but she suspected that would be rough on any cart or wagon. And if she was going to go slow, well, she might as well rent a mule or something. Hmm. Or maybe buy one, and add to the dungeon’s variety.
“I’ll get the paperwork sorted later. Now, about your two questions, I believe they have a rather related answer. Lord Paltira has a bit of an advantage from his path involving the Twins instead of a single deity, but it is also a much trickier path to balance.”
Moriko nodded along, then stopped suddenly. “Wait, I never said his name.”
Theodoric chuckled at her reaction. “You should never go into spycraft. The temple of the twins has a much smaller denomination, and how many of their human monk-priests are running around with the Azeria clan? Also, I am well aware of his guardian status to her highness, and I am privy to what the training entails for a princess marked to join their clan. She’s not the first princess I’ve seen make this journey.”
She eyed him a moment speculatively. He had quite the distinguished style of graying hair, but he’d had that exact same look for the twenty years she’d been at the temple, and she had no clue how old he actually was. Given that he was a High Master, it was not inconceivable that he’d been around for a few generations.
Her master continued. “Also, your reaction confirmed something that was a guess. A well-founded guess, but technically speculation. Now, to get back to your question. The answer is deceptively simple. As a disciple, you have been true to following your real passions while being tempered against being controlled by them. If you wish to expand your horizons rather than focus only on your current path, you must instead learn to tend to the passions of others.” Moriko started to smirk, but Theodoric anticipated the nature of her quip and said rather dryly “And no, mutual indulgence does not count.”
Moriko pouted at him, but it had no more impact on him than her failed attempts to seduce him when she was younger. Then she turned her thoughts to processing what he’d told her. Tending to the passions of others would be a specific form of helping people in need. While it would not exclude simply helping someone with food or healing, it wouldn’t be fulfilled by that either. “So, basically I need to find people who are being blocked from doing something they are sincerely passionate about, and help them get there?”
“Yes, with the same caveats as following one’s own passions of course. And there are various subtleties as well, but generally helping someone progress toward the life they want to live counts. This can be time-consuming, but there is no obligation to attempt more than you are capable of. It does however mean that sometimes you may have to put aside your path for a while to help someone on theirs.”
“That, well, that’s a lot to think about.” Moriko looked up thoughtfully, filling her sight with blue sky as she considered it. “But it is a form of price for power. The price for the strength of my body was the time and effort I spent in training and meditation. I need to think about this.”
“Of course. And in the end, this is between you and Lady Sakiya. The titles and ranks of church and temple have little to do with the reality of whether a deity bestows their blessing and power upon an individual. I will get everything in order for you, you should take your time here and consider what you want to do. Oh, and I have a copy of a book I will send to your room. The holy texts you have read have been mostly focused on being a follower, this is advice for those seeking higher service to the goddess.”