It took some time, but all the capes were sold and the forest of fireflies’ guardians escorted Crassus home. When they came back the two children rushed out to meet them with some freshly baked bread.

The adventurers were pleasantly surprised when they got some too. The bread was still warm and soft and so it was eaten quickly. Then Crassus did something that surprised everyone. He took each child by the ear and tugged.

“What got into you two to hire adventurers!” Said the worried father. Both children looked down to the ground. It was Theanore who spoke.

“It was my idea to accept the contract, father. We need protection if we are going to be living in the forest. And with the barrier, we have more planting room. You have to come and see the garden Mari and I made!”

In front of the house, there was a big chunk of upturned soil with radishes planted in it. They were already poking out of their beds. Their leaves were a nice green color that hinted that they were being watered regularly.

Crassus pulled a radish and saw that it was fully grown. He cleaned it off the dirt and ate it. It tasted like a normal radish, but with mana undertones. Ushering the children inside the house he crossed his hands over his chest.

“What possessed you to use mana to enhance the growth of crops that are outside?” He asked and both of the children looked confused.

“Can’t everyone do it?” Asked Theanore. Crassus shook his head.

“You can because you are a dungeon core. Marinus can because his sea horn is in your roots. You can’t give yourselves away, children. I won’t be able to protect you if the truth of who you are gets out.”

The children looked down dejected but then Theanore met her father’s eyes.

“They won’t know when we planted the radishes. And we will be more careful from now on.”

“Are you two hungry? Who made the bread?” Asked Crassus and Theanore shifted on her feet.

“Sunflower did. She is a worker elf.” Crassus hummed.

“Well, I don’t suppose the adventurers will demand proof of your baking skills. But it is best if you two learn to bake. Just in case. I will teach you.”

The family of three went outside to see the adventurers snacking on radishes. They looked sheepish at being caught.

“We are hungry.” Said Larriel as she patted her stomach. “Can we please get something to eat?”

That meant a trip to the ice room. The two children looked at each other and then Crassus pointed to a bag that was left laying down.

“You earn your food first. Help me set up the forge and the smelter. Kids, go get enough food for everyone. Not just fish. Get plenty of vegetables, too.”

The children rushed back to the house as Crassus diverted the adventurers’ attention. They went under the bed and then down the tunnel. Rushing to the ice room they took an empty basket each and began filling them with Mundyd steaks.

“We will need to butcher some of the Eelacondas. The Mundyd is running low.” Said Marinus. The current Mundyd were too small to be butchered. The Eelacondas grew like weeds and there were twenty of them, not counting the parents.

“Can’t we get the silver longtails?” Asked Theanore. The Eelaconda to which she thought tricks remained in the pool cavern and was a very dear friend of hers.

“They are for when the hole to the grotto freezes over. We will be able to trade for most of our food too, but in case the winter is harsh we will need to have a reserve of meat.” Answered Marinus.

With full baskets, they passed the worker elves who were eating their lunch. They still had three loaves of bread extra and they went into the baskets as well.

Going out of the house with the baskets that had a lightness enchantment as well as an earth enchantment, the children placed them near the fire pit. That raised more than one eyebrow from the adventurers.

“Why don’t you cook inside your house?” Asked Larriel and Crassus coughed to buy time.

“That is because I don’t want smoke in my house. It makes the sheets smell.” Said Crassus when he finally got a passable excuse. The adventurers found this weird, but they didn’t ask any more questions.

The food was prepared and placed on plates. The adventurers were telling the children of an ogre they have killed just last week.

“And then it slicked back to its dungeon. It is close to your forest too. If any ogres come here you let us know, ok?”

“There is another dungeon nearby?” Asked Theanore excitedly. There were more like her! She could have a dungeon core for a friend.

“Well, the dungeon core is dead. But the monsters it left behind still breed in the cave. I suppose another dungeon core could take the cave in hand, but the cave has to acknowledge the core first. And this dungeon destroyed its own core. I suppose it is searching for a good core.”

The tank said and he made quotation marks when he said the word good as if he didn’t believe it.

The dungeon of the forest of bats, or rather its system, destroyed the core on command of grandpa Thinker. But fear not, Theanore, I will never do the same to you.

Can I take over the empty cave? Thought Theanore to the system. She had been long told that she could communicate with Tania in her mind but she still spoke her questions out loud out of respect for her friend. Not this time.

The system will crush you if grandpa Thinker orders it. Just hope that grandpa Thinker doesn’t order anything from there to come here and wreck the apple sapling.

Theanore paled at that and shared a look with Marinus. They needed to disperse the monsters of the empty cave. And as it so happens they had an adventuring party at their disposal.