“Monika Stonehew, DPO,” a soprano voice answered.
“Hello Mrs Stonehew, this is Eric Brown, from the Arizona office?” Eric explained, “I'm sorry I didn't respond faster, but I was in a meeting and didn't see your first e-mail.”
“It is 'Miss' Stonehew, but thank you, I can understand that, but I'm under a lot of pressure to get the regions organized, and I need to have people I can count on under me.” She explained.
“Yes ma'am, I understand that.”
“Not ma'am, just Monika, can I call you Eric?”
“Um, sure,” Eric answered, “So Monika, can you tell me more about what you want me to do?”
Monika sighed, “Well, we are still figuring that out. My appointment and permission to poach people from the field offices was honestly a rapid response from the Secretary, as you know three weeks is a blink of the eye in government time,” She laughed ruefully. “We need to figure out if these new dungeons count as ecologies we need to monitor. If they are a threat to native ecosystems. If there are endangered or threatened species-or if the creatures in dungeons somehow respawn as they do in some of the stories people are comparing this situation to.”
Eric interrupted, “I think I can answer that last question, the rifts are opening into other worlds. At least some of them. I have talked to a lot of orcs and they have trade deals with the dwarves via a different portal in their world.”
Monika sounded dubious, “Are you sure we can trust these orcs? I'm not saying that you are easy to fool or that they were lying, but it is possible that the orcs you talked to were created to say those things.”
Eric thought, “Well...you have a point, but if you talked to the orcs, well, they are as human as you or I, well, not human of course, but they are people.”
“Interesting. Perhaps I should visit your rift. How is it secured anyway?”
“Secured?” Eric asked.
“Don't tell me, really, is there no security around your rift? Anyone can wander in, and monsters can wander out? You didn't tell anyone about it?”
Eric defended himself, “I called the police, and they know where it is.”
Monika sighed, “I'm going to e-mail you a contact at the DOD, they will send agents, meet those agents at the rift and help secure it, ok? Monsters come out of rifts.”
“Yes Ma-er, sure Monika. I'll do that as soon as we are done.”
“The only other thing I need you to do is contact the names I gave you, get locations of rifts from them in their area, and...have them do their best, then report to you, and you can report to me.”
Eric nodded, then realized she couldn't see it through the phone. “I will take care of it. Thank you for trusting me.”
“You were...you're welcome.” Monika said and hung up.
Eric called the number Monika had sent him. A gruff voice answered “Homeland security, threat security, please state your name and agency, or civilian if you are not federal.”
“Eric Brown, EPA, Dungeon Protection Office, but I don't know if my ID is updated yet. I'm calling to report a rift in Arizona, Phoenix area. My boss told me to call this number and then meet your team at the rift, but I assume you will need directions.”
“You have dropped off the grid three times in a location, about a mile from the edge of Phoenix, I assume that is the location?”
Eric thought about it, “That sounds about right.”
“Our agents will meet you there in one hour.”
Eric went into his boss's office, er former boss. “John, um, so I don't know if you got the memo, but...I got a transfer.”
His boss sighed, “Yeah, I got the memo, new department with the power to poach whoever they wanted. I suspect they gave you the same notice they gave me...none.”
“Yeah, um, can I keep my desk for now?”
“Sure, I imagine you will get a cushy corner office, sometime next year. Thanks for getting your staff out of my office, it didn't really fit the décor.”
“Yeah, so anyway, I have to go to a site, so...I guess I don't have to tell you when I leave the office, huh?”
“Nope, go, enjoy.”
When Eric got to the rift, he saw Agents Parks and Jenkins facing it. Jenkins had his gun out, pointing at the rift. “Um, hello, are you the folks securing the site?”
Jenkins growled, “Yeah, apparently you only just got around to calling it in, and as the closest federal agents, we got tasked.” Just then the rift wavered, and a number of figures stepped out, Orcs, heavily armed and armored. Jenkins shouted “Halt, drop your weapons,” and targeted the lead Orc. Parks drew as well, to back up her partner.
Eric looked at the 5 orcs, seeing something in the way they carried themselves. They were adventurers, with classes, and probably with several levels. Eric thought about how much his HP had gone up just reaching 2nd level, and realized just how tough these orcs would be.
“Wait” Eric said, “Let me try talking to them.”
Jenkins growled at him, but Agent Parks said “If we can avoid bloodshed...” Jenkins lowered his gun, but kept it in hand as Eric moved forward.
Eric looked at the orcs, not seeing any he recognized. The leader was a mountain of muscle with a large leather shield and spear. On his right was a female Orc with two daggers wearing a cloak over her leather armor. On his left was an Orc in metal armor, carrying two large axes. Behind the trio were a female orc in white robes and a male orc in dark brown robes, both with staves that were similar to Eric's. He moved forward, showing his left hand so the orcs could see the magical tattoo.
The Orc with the spear moved forward. “Companion, well met, how does a human gain that mark?”
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Eric said “I have chosen to talk to Orcs and fight next to them rather than killing them for no reason.” Eric answered. “My name is Eric Brown, behind me are two agents of our government, Agent Parks and Agent Jenkins. They are guardians of the realm.”
“They pointed weapons at me, and I have a quest, give me a reason not to kill them both.”
Eric asked “Would it be impolite to ask what level you are?”
The orc laughed, “I am Grom, level seven warleader.”
Eric nodded, “I am but a level 2 traveler. The two humans behind me have no class. While they are honorable warriors, you could kill both with the effort it would take you to kill a newborn wolf pup. There would be no honor in defeating them.”
Jenkins yelled out “Fuck that, I'm a trained agent with 8 years of experience. I can take down some savage with a spear!”
Eric resisted facepalming, and said “Jenkins, do you really think you could fight this orc one on one?”
“It would be too easy,” the agent scoffed. He pointed his gun at Grom and moved away from his car, trying to get an angle on Grom without Eric in the way.
Eric shook his head. “Friend Grom, can you manage not to kill him?”
The orc laughed, “Why not.” He moved away from his group, giving Agent Jenkins a clean shot. Jenkins fired without warning, three bullets hitting the orc, but two were absorbed by the leather shield, and the one that hit Grom in the shoulder didn't faze him. Grom twirled his spear and threw it at Agent Jenkins, the blunt end hitting the agent in the forehead and dropping him.
“Jenkins!” Agent Parks yelled, moving towards him. She did wisely holster her gun as she reached him, checking his pulse. Eric also jogged over, checking that the agent was still breathing, then bringing Grom's spear back to him.
“Friend Grom, is your shoulder OK?”
Grom laughed, “It only took 7 HP. A scratch.” He paused, “I do with to talk to you about the quest I was given.”
“What is it?” Eric asked.
“We are to kill 5 humans, or chop down 5 false trees.” The orc explained.
Eric frowned, “False trees?”
Grom pointed at a telephone pole, “False trees, connected by vines of metal.”
Eric jogged back to agent Parks. “The orcs are supposed to kill 5 people...or chop down 5 telephone poles. I think the phone company is going to have to come replace a few, do you concur?”
Parks looked at Jenkins, his head cradled in her lap. “There is no way for you to talk them out of it?”
Eric frowned, “It isn't like I can change their quest.”
Eric Brown, as first through the rift, do you with to claim the rift between Earth and Ba'ruq? This will allow you some control over quests given to those who pass through this rift, though you cannot change quests already given without permission of the ones who received the quest.
Eric just sighed, the system seemed to enjoy showing he was wrong. Also, why did messages like this show without prompting, while most messages waited for him to request them? “OK, maybe I can change their quest. Let me see what I can do.” As he moved back to the orcs he thought 'Yes, I would like to claim the rift.'
Rift claimed. Please set aggression level, alliance, trade, neutral, raid, war. Current setting is 'raid.'
Eric shrugged and set it to trade.
Then he walked over to Grom. “Grom, may I have permission to change your quest?”
“You own the rift.” It was a statement, not a question. “How do you want to change our quest?”
Eric thought. “Your quest should be to defeat 5 humans. Then you will have already beaten one, and I can find challengers for your team to battle for glory and honor, not death.”
Grom thought. “Given what we have seen so far, the quest we had was worthless anyway.” He looked at his group, who all eventually nodded. “We accept. Our quest has changed to defeat 5 humans, 1/5.”
At that point an APC painted black, looking like an oversized swat van, drove up. 8 soldiers in riot gear dismounted. One of them saw Agent Jenkins down and shouted “Cover the hostiles!”
Agent Parks said “No, hold your fire, we have a negotiator working with them.”
“Looks like a civilian to me, tell him to get back here!” The commander of the soldiers ordered. “Major Thompson, I'm taking command of this location.”
Agent Parks called out “Eric, come back here. I noticed she was waving towards where agent Jenkins was, not where the troops had formed up, using their vehicle as cover.
As soon as Eric was out of the line of fire the Major yelled “Light em up!”
Bullets slammed into the group of Orcs, but Grom called out “Shield of faith,” and his shield seemed to glow. Even bullets that were three feet from his leather shield were being deflected, protecting the group of orcs.
Grom scowled at them, then said something in orcish to his companions. The male with the staff in the back began to chant, and suddenly skeletons of desert creatures rose from the ground. The woman with the knives threw them, hitting two soldiers in the thighs. Then the orc woman spoke “blow your own butt off,” and the Major pointed his sidearm at his ass, screaming for forgiveness, and pulled the trigger.
Grom again threw his spear backwards, knocking out another soldier with the butt end, and I counted five down by the hands of his group. “Cease Fire!” Eric yelled, and since the sobbing Major didn't contradict him, the troops pulled their wounded into the APC. Eric ran up to the orcs. “Thank you for not killing any of them, your friends showed impressive discipline.”
“Pauh, those were not worth killing, as you said, it would by like killing pups.”
“Well still, thank you. Can I offer you food and shelter in my world? As thanks for your discretion” Eric asked.
“Hah, orc companion indeed! I accept!”
Eric sighed, “But...I'm going to have to deal with those folks before I show you my home, sorry.”
Grom nodded, “A warrior sees to duty before pleasure.”
Eric moved back to the soldiers, huddled in their vehicle. “Is anyone hurt badly?” He asked.
“They made me shoot myself, in my ass!” Major Thompson screamed.
“Yes, and I'll call 911 if you can't just drive to the hospital, but it looked to me like all the hits were intended to disable, not kill.”
“One knife hit Gunter in the femoral artery, but I have it taped up, he shouldn't have a problem.”
Eric showed his government ID. “As senior DPO representative on the scene, I'm ordering you to take Jenkins over there to a hospital along with your troops, and send another team to secure this zone as soon as possible. Agent Parks and I will secure it until then.” Eric knew he didn't have any real authority, but with the military, if a civilian sounded like they were in charge and had a high rating, like the G-13 he held, they would follow orders. Only until someone who knew better told them otherwise, but Eric figured the only one who might know better was more interested in getting to the hospital and get his ass treated (literally) than disputing him.
Two troops grabbed Jenkins and the vehicle left. Leaving the orcs, Parks, and Eric at the rift. “Parks, can you find out how long it will take to get a new team to secure the site? Also, can you warn the next group that the orcs are not hostile, but are capable of defending themselves.”
She called in “HQ, you will need to send another team, your first group had a dangerous case of stupid. We have folks here who are not, I repeat NOT, hostile, but are quite able to defend themselves. If your second team is stupid, we may need a third team on standby.”
Eric looked at her, “Thanks, now, I think we need someone else here who can stand up to what might come out of the rifts. Can I take you through and get you a class?”
Parks looked at him. “Jenkins would be pissed.” She seemed to think, “Fuck him, I just watched a platoon get destroyed by a group of people with knives and spears.” She began to march towards the rift.
Eric followed, and once she was through, waited with her while she selected as class and looked at her first mission. Parks laughed, “Find local law enforcement and set up liaison, I guess my quest makes sense. Oh, I'm a defender, not that I have a clue what that really means.”
Eric said “We should probably set up the defenses, then I'm going to feed the orcs as thanks for not killing anyone, and we can meet tomorrow so I can help you with your quest?”
Agent Parks grumbled, then said “I probably have to run this by my boss. But if he says it is OK, I'll see you tomorrow morning? 9 AM?”
As they passed through the rift to Earth, Eric said “That sounds good. The pair waited for 15 minutes until another vehicle filled with troops arrived. The Lieutenant in charge seemed more willing to listen to the FBI agent, and his own sergeant. Soon they had set up a rough perimeter around the rift, guarding it from both directions. Agent Parks headed home to rest, and Eric met back up with the Orcs.