Barreling through the door, I found myself transported to a familiar field. Swirling white snow surrounded us in all directions as the storm raged just as violently as it had for centuries before. The tall, crystalline obelisk had been knocked over, but it was still in one piece. When we entered, the first three wagons had been burnt to ash, but the lead wagon was also a neat pile on the ground now.

It took me a moment to take in everything that was going on. The members of the Mage’s Guild were sitting around the obelisk on one side of the clearing while Oristrella was lounging in a tall-backed chair, being waited on by Himia. It seemed like she was ignoring everyone else in the clearing as she read from her strange rectangle.

Standing in the center was the Dungeon Master, accompanied by the Director of the Department of Dungeons, Cojisto, and Moose. The latter caught my eye and started nudging his Human friend, but I didn’t have the patience to wait. My gaze kept traveling, trying to find Ferrisdae in the crowd.

“Badger?” came a small voice from behind me, and I whirled around. Sitting on the ground, all bundled up in a blanket, was Ferrisdae. I approached her and knelt down, looking her over for any signs of trouble. Aside from some shaking, she appeared fine.

“Ferrisdae, how are you feeling?” I asked gently.

“Like I ate too much and and both my stomach and my wellspring is about to burst,” she admitted quietly. “Cojisto tried to explain what you did, but he’s…”

“Not very eloquent?”

“His heart’s in the right place,” she said. I let her have this one.

I shifted so that I was sitting in front of her. “I funneled the magic of the dungeon into filling your wellspring.”

Ferrisdae’s eyes widened as her body jerked out of surprise. “That…” she hesitated. “Sounds inadvisable.”

“It was, but it was all I could think of,” I confirmed. “You were suffering from magic drain, neither the Dungeon Master or Himia were answering, and something had to be done. Cojisto fed you two potions and you still continued to fade. I don’t know if there’s going to be any lasting problems, but I did what I had to and I stand by it.”

“There’s a fairly positive chance that Junior Dungeon Inspector Ferrisdae is going to recover with only a few negative repercussions.” My head snapped to look at the newcomer. Himia stood next to us, smiling.

“And you’re sure of this?” I asked sternly. Cheroske had said Ferrisdae would recover, but any additional confirmation would put my mind at ease.

“Oh, yes,” she said with a decisive nod. “Also, I want to make sure you know that we were not ignoring you, but rather dealing with Director Ortaephaen. To use the Dungeon Master, Master of Dungeon’s words: he is terrifying.”

That caught me off guard, but I shook my head with a scowl. “Thank you Himia, we would like some privacy now.”

“Of course, Dungeon Inspector Badger,” she said with a bow before walking off towards the Dungeon Master.

I looked back at Ferrisdae and offered her a small smile. “I feel like I should be reprimanding you for giving me so much paperwork to do, but I think I’ll let you off the hook just this once.”

“Oh, gee, thanks,” she responded, choking out a small laugh. “I only drained myself because you needed help, you know. Swiftfeather was about to cast something big at you. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I knew it was dangerous. I had to stop him. I hadn’t realized I… I didn’t know that-“

“Cojisto already told me,” I said, trying to sound soothing. “You just focus on recovering. We get some time off after this subjugation, right? You can stay in New Frausta, see the sights. Or you can head home, see your overly approving family. I know you almost got robbed on the Top, so…”

My words dropped and a silence fell. I wasn’t quite sure what to say, and I knew that she couldn’t be feeling great. After a minute or so, she opened her arms and gestured for me to hug her. I hesitated, but did as she asked. I stood up, walked the short distance between us, and wrapped my arms around her.

“Thank you, Badger,” she whispered as she pulled me tight and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m sure this wasn’t what you had in mind when an apprentice was forced onto you, but I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the past few days.”

“I suppose you’re welcome, then,” I said awkwardly before pulling away. “I suppose, at this point, I can admit that Brackenhorst chose well. Not just for you as an inspector, but for you as someone who meshes well with me. Though-“

“Don’t go telling the world, right?” Ferrisdae finished with a weak smile. “Look at you, you big old softie.”

“That sounds dangerously close to ‘please, sir, let’s stop this sappy moment and get back to work,’ don’t you think?” I chided. In response, she just opened her arms again. “What? I already gave you a hug.”

“Yeah, but what about second hug?” she asked cheekily. “I’m feeling really bad over here.”

I snorted, then turned around. “Moose! Come on over here!”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Moose and Cojisto were already looking at us, but they seemed reluctant to leave whatever discussion the Dungeon Master and Ortaephaen were having. A quick dismissive gesture from the latter had the adventuring duo quickly escaping and heading towards us in seconds.

When they were close enough, I pointed at Ferrisdae. “Moose, Ferrisdae needs a hug,” I said.

“Wait, that’s-“ Ferrisdae started before giggling as Moose walked past me and pushed his head into her arms. Her laughter turned to light coughing, but she was still in good spirits after. “Thank you, Moose. You give very good hugs.”

He stamped his foot once as he backed away from her.

Cojisto clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You were right about there being a lot of darkness,” he said. “First there was a dungeon, and then bam! Everything went dark. We got out of there pretty fast, though. Moose and I thought you said it would take time.”

“I said it could take time,” I corrected. “But I’m glad you guys were in and out.”

“Same. It would have gotten really boring really fast.”

“Yes, that could become a problem,” I replied before gazing off towards the Dungeonborn and elderly Elf discussing things. I tilted my head towards them. “What are they talking about?”

“Honestly? I have no clue,” Cojisto admitted. When I gave him a sharp glance, he raised his hands. “It went in one ear and out the other, okay? Even Moose was having a hard time keeping up with the talk about dungeon magic this and subdimensional whatsits that. All we did was give a statement and wait to get dismissed.”

“You gave a statement?” I asked, suddenly suspicious. “How much did you leave out?”

“What do you mean? I told my whole story as I understood it,” Cojisto answered, tilting his head as though my question confused him.

Which prompted me to sigh. Whatever he told the director, I’m sure I had a lot of gaps to fill. “Ferrisdae, you’re under administrative leave from this moment on. After the director is done with me, then we should be returning to New Frausta. Okay?”

“Okay, sounds good, sir,” she responded with a nod.

“Not ‘sir.’ You’re on leave, Ferry, just call me Badger.”

Her eyes widened. “Did-“

“Once we get back, and once you’re well enough, then I’ll show you around the city,” I interrupted. “There’s a lot of places that tourists wouldn’t know about, and I’m sure my wife, Tabs, and my daughters would love to meet you.”

Ferrisdae’s jaw dropped. “Your- daughters? What?”

“Just sit tight. I’ll go get all this cleared up with the boss and we’ll be heading back home before you can cast a light spell. You can stay with us if you don’t feel safe on the Top any more. No one will try anything if you’re staying as our guest at the Bottom’s Up.”

“You’re- that’s-“ Ferrisdae looked flabbergasted. “Who are you?”

“I am Badger,” I said. Glancing up at Cojisto and Moose, who both looked like they had questions they didn’t feel comfortable asking, and I made a show of sighing and shaking my head. “Fine, you two can come, too. Only because I know my kids will have a fit if I was in the company of a moose and didn’t bring him home for them to see.”

“Thanks, Badger,” Cojisto said with a large grin on his face. Moose nodded his head vigorously.

“Don’t thank me yet; she’s the only one who I’m offering free lodging to,” I retorted before turning around and walking towards the director.

“Dungeon Inspector Badger, welcome back,” the director greeted me as I approached, and he waved the Dungeon Master away. “Don’t go too far, Dungeon Master, I simply must know more about how you change the magical structure of your dungeons using transdimensional ley lines in order to meet your whimsy. It is both quite absurd and, frankly, incredibly interesting.”

After hearing the director’s words, it became clear to me that I might have been too harsh on Cojisto. There was no way he was going to keep up with that kind of technical jargon. Even Moose would have issues.

“Director Ortaephaen,” I greeted with a shake of my hand. The Dungeon Master skulked off, barely giving me a glance, and I ignored him. “I wasn’t expecting you to come yourself. Or so soon.”

“It was my pleasure,” he chuckled, seemingly energized by the situation. “You know, I was thinking of retiring soon. I was going to give it another three or four decades, really give me time to think, when Brackenhorst barged into my office and told me that I was going to want to hear what you had to say. He was absolutely right! This Dungeonborn you found, who was apparently sitting dormant in a city-state that hated having us visit, will revolutionize the field of Dungeon Magical Sciences! We’ve been discussing what he wants and what we can offer him in exchange for his services. This whole outing has been delightful, and it’s barely started!”

“Delightful for some, sir,” I said, my voice prickly.

Even though he had been looking right at me, I felt like that was the first time he actually saw me. Ortaephaen’s gaze traveled to Ferrisdae before he sighed. “She’s going to come out of this stronger, you know.”

“What an old fashioned way of seeing it,” I complained dryly. “Oristrella said the same thing.”

The director pursed his lips, but didn’t drop to my level. “Your concern over your junior is warranted, Badger, and I’m sorry if my words seem crass.”

He stopped there, but I heard every justification he wanted to make. While I respected Ortaephaen’s work ethic and all he had done for the Department of Dungeons, he was still a relic of a bygone age. I crossed my arms, giving him a stern stare that I knew wouldn’t work, and waited.

“You and Ferrisdae are to report back to New Frausta and make a statement directly to Chief Dungeon Inspector Brackenhorst. I will teleport you out of here when you’re ready,” he said as if such a feat of magic wasn’t impressive. Not even the archmage Serto Sercrello could have pulled that off. “After your statements, the Department of Dungeons and the Mage’s Guild will both conduct a medical and magical health screening to make sure none of you are afflicted with anything potentially dangerous. Cojisto and Moose will be compensated for their efforts, and then you will be placed on your contract mandated seven day subjugation leave. Any questions?”

“None, sir,” I replied. “I’ll go and get the team ready.”

“Let me know immediately,” Director Ortaephaen said. “I really am eager to get back to this Dungeonborn.”

With a nod, I spun on my heel and started returning to the others. Despite everything that happened, I couldn’t deny that there was a slight spring in my step. This adventure was over, and that meant there was only paperwork left before I could return to the people I loved. Paperwork wasn’t bad, at least; that part always made the most sense to me.

The biggest reward, however, was that I would get to return home and spend a whole week with my wife, kids, and friends.

I was already looking forward to it.

End of Book 1.