Oollie remembers Tarra perfectly, every word she ever said. So, we ask SAMS to look for documents about Tarra from Silmira Grand, with the only other information that she has been an agent for more than 200 years.

Then SAMS tells me I'll have to wait.

"How long?" I ask, not sure if it will take days or minutes.

[The estimated time to finish the inquiry is between 45 and 60 minutes]

Okay, well that's not too bad.

To kill time while I wait, I take the scroll I started to read earlier about my Dungeon's Constructor and start to read it.

It reads like a fantasy book about a crazy queen on some strange planet who wanted to rule everyone and everything. Not too unique. But the reading seems to be volumes long and I don’t have time or patience to read through it all, so I decide to leave it for later.

While I’m waiting for the results to get back to me, I sense the disturbance and the spiders warn me someone is approaching the Dungeon. I sent Rocky to stand by the Main Entrance and I hurry through the tunnels to see who it may be.

As I’m getting to the gate I see Rocky all frowning and standing there looking down, and when I come out, two village folks are standing next to the tree lines. They do not look threatening at all. Poorly dressed, skinny, not threatening at all. A little bit on the young side, but then, what is young in my world proved definitely not to be so here.

I sigh and am ready to call on them and ask what they want when I see two little heads pop behind them.

"Hi, Verne and Nora!" I instantly greet and wave at them happily. Did not forget about those two, just did not know when they would show up. And now they are here with obviously their parents.

I wave my hand and tell them to climb up.

They look nervous and freeze, watching something to the right of them.

I follow their gaze and see WhiteHead and the pack coming up the trail, escorting Manka, Zanka, and the goats. It’s midday. I bet they are going inside to relieve themselves.

I see their udders all swallowed up, ready to be milked. Yesterday, it took Oollie about an hour to do it. Hopefully, today it will go faster.

“Are these my good girls,” I say and caress each of their heads and they moo me in approval. But then they see Rocky standing there by the entrance and speed up swiftly passing next to him.

He is eyeing them all the way, even as they pass him, looking at their behind.

I’m not sure if he is eyeing them because he is just blood-thirsty, or hungry, or… Well, I did knock his sex drive to zero. Still, I’m not sure what is going on in his head. Even scared to find out.

Agh, such is the life of a dungeon master.

Only once Whitehead and his pack have entered the Dungeon, do Verne and Nora’s parents decide to come up.

As they are climbing slowly, I hear Rocky growl and move nervously next to me. He’s not upset. I think… he is hungry. What the hell will I feed him with? Certainly not what the old dungeon used to.

No, he is going vegan. If I have to cover half of the mountain with berries and roots, that’s what I’ll do.

His growling is getting louder. He’s like a mad blood-thirsty hound looking at a little kid running in front of him. He is actually licking his lips and swallowing his saliva!

“Yeah, Rocky, you stop right now! You will not do that! You will learn to behave or else I’ll have you carry boulders all day long, from one heap to another. And then back. And if you don’t learn by then, I’ll have boulders, a whole bunch of them, not in your arms but on top of your head. Yeah, keep looking up. A whole mountain of them. Right on top of your head. So, Rocky, your best behavior. Let’s see you smile. Okay. Not smiling, just take a step back. And be quiet. And after I’m finished with them, we will do something about your dietary habits.”

I think he is going back to the Constructor. I might just make a cow out of him. Well, maybe a goat. They eat anything. It’s either that or feed him dead goblin meat. Yeah, I know which one I would prefer. But I’m not sure about him.

"Hello, there,” I say as they are within hearing distance, getting suddenly very reluctant to make another step toward Rocky no matter how much I smile and look at them with my big shining eyes.

They drop the basket of apples. That seems to be a peace offering. I know Oollie loves apples. Nice.

“Oh, are those for me?” I ask after they seem incapable of saying anything, really not daring to move at all other than stare at me and nervously glance at Rocky.

“Yes, yes, they are for you,” the man says after Nora nudges him from behind.

“Oh, thank you, you shouldn't have,” I say, pretending to be nice while at the same time thinking, you ungrateful bastards, took you almost a whole week to come and thank me for saving your kids. And you bring me some apples? Not even an apple pie? What do they think, those apples will make into a pie by themselves?

But I play nice.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Just wanted to thank you for saving our children.”

"The word is going around that you… are a really decent… dungeon.”

“Oh, yeah…? Says who?”

“Ranger Tarra passed by. She mentioned something about you.”

So, you didn’t trust your kids. But comes a sexy woman in a skimpy uniform and you trust anything she says.

“Said you probably would appreciate for us… to come and greet you.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s nice.”

“We don’t have much. Just wanted to drop these apples, you know.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Oh, while you are here. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

I should not have done that. I see how instantly they tense up.

“Sure,” Verne says as he steps behind his parents. “Ask.”

Now I do not want to sound as if I know nothing. Probably they would convey that to everyone they know, and then all the peasants will think I’m some dumbass. So, I decide to ask questions carefully.

“King Eri, does he ever give you trouble?”

“Well. he is not supposed to come here across the river, but you know how it goes.”

So, I got that part right.

“Yeah, so, who is to stop him if he does?”

“This is supposed to be neutral territory. I think five kings would not like it one bit.”

“But we do not like him,” Nora said right away. “Once my cousin went fishing and his soldiers took him. He did not even cross the river. I know he didn’t.”

“Yes. If we cross the river, we forfeit our freedom.”

“I see. That is not very fair,” I tell them.

“No. But then he has paid swords and a standing army. And we do not.”

“Some say five thousand strong,” his wife adds, obviously understanding I am just looking for the information here. I appreciate her help.

So, I ask a million-dollar question. “How about Rhilons? I heard they are the ones that sacked the previous Dungeon.”

“Yes. They came in numbers. Five hundred strong. Brought monsters of their own. Pillaged our home. Said it was for a righteous cause.”

“They took everything we had, our cow, our sheep. Our horse,” his wife added.

“At least they did not take you,” her father says.

“Yes, that’s because you hid us, Dad,” Nora adds. “You know what happened to Fenborn's family?”

I growl upon hearing it. One of these days I will run into those fellas. I’m not sure they will like it though.

They seem to notice my mood change, growing dark, and take a step back.

So, I try to cheer them up, and put a smile back on my face. “So you like it here in Ertnia?” I ask, just making sure I got the names of this place up.

“We survive,” the woman says. “It’s not easy. But we survive.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“We came two winters ago. Run from up north, from the war you know. Did not think the trouble would find us here. But now, we have nothing. They took it all."

So, that is why they are here. Good old Tarra saw them and told them to come to beg at my door. If she was so worried about them, why didn’t she stay behind to help them?

It does not matter.

I need all these people on my side. I have to face two enemies, neither of which I know anything about except that they are powerful enough to rule over their lands. And I... I can't even milk my own cow or a goat. Or get LightsOut to stop throwing pebbles when he flies over Oollie, according to Oollie that is. Well, at least, he is not throwing live goblins at him anymore.

So, yeah. I need all the help I can get and then some.

“We don’t have much,” the father said, obviously anxious to finish the conversation and leave. "But if there is anything we can do-”

"Well, what I am looking for is for that big guy by the door to get good weapons. I had a little trouble with the goblins.

"Yes, we heard about that."

"So, maybe you can recommend a good weapon smith. I will need to give my big boy Rocky there some tools of war if you know what I mean."

Whitehead comes, puts his head down, and lays next to my feet. I see the kids instantly step back, trepidation making them practically hide behind their parents. So, I say, "Don’t worry, Verde I had a talk with them. They will not hurt you. Never again. Right, Whitehead?"

He licks my hand, and I rub him behind his ear.

“Well, my husband is an excellent weapons smith,” the wife spills it out, and her husband bumps her, and looks at her as if trying to quiet her down. But she takes none of it. “He used to be one of the best in Erwin Town, that’s a place up north.”

“Yes, but it’s been a while…”

“Oh, I am not looking for anything complicated. Just for a good bow and some arrows for a start.”

“Oh, bows and arrows. My husband’s specialty. He made one for King Lefron's little son.”

“Oh, great. I’m looking for something extra big. Like, a bow that is… big enough for that guy. I mean, think big bow and then some. Something that has a lot of power. Something that can shoot an arrow that is two meters long.”

“Well, that would take some time to do…”

“I have resources. I would not expect you to do it for free.”

He looks at me, trying to figure me out. Good luck, buddy.

“And, I hope you know that once you start working for me, I practically promise to protect you. Those bows and arrows will never be used against you or your family.”

“It would take some time. I think I understand what you want. A dragon killer arrow. I’ve seen them. They take time. Probably… a month to do.”

“You have five days.”

“But…”

“No. really. Please. Five days.”

"It just..."

"Goblins won't wait. I flew with Whitehead the other day. There is a score of them not more than two days from here. And from what I understand, more are on the way to come here. I need the weapons fast.”

"But I can't promise you with time..."

"Just drop everything you have working on. I’ll pay top price."

He looks uncertain. “I’ll try. The quality… it will not be the same as if I…”

“I want something for right now. Then later, you can do one that is of better quality. But I can’t have him waving tree trunks at goblins. Besides, the way I understand it, there is more evil coming our way than goblins.”

I should not have said that. If this guy can make a weapon that even my constructor does not want to build, I could really use him. But, if I scare him enough, he may just pack and run.

So, I try to sweeten the pot. "I also need someone to milk the cows every day. And goats. Would not mind paying you in produce for that.”

“That I can help you with right away,” the woman says readily and even tries to smile timidly at me. “Even kids know how to milk them. Ever since we lost all our livestock, we did not have a drop of milk.”

"Great. You can start right away.”

I look at them better now. They are all so malnourished. Probably from starving. Even bringing these apples here must have cost them. I bet that is why the kids were far out of the farm. Just looking for the food.

I can fix that.

“There are good pasture lands down where our old livestock used to graze,” the man offers. “We can even watch over them if you’d like.”

“No,” I say, not like that idea one bit. “These cows and goats stay here. My Fangers will keep an eye on them.”

My Bonding with WhiteHead is just over 50. Not where I want it to be. I can see through his eyes, but very murky. I need to take him for a run. Play a catch. Get some joy in his life. Bring milk to his wife and puppies should help too. He deserves it. Maybe I’ll make him an ice cream too! That’s an idea. Yeah. And once we bond firmly, I’ll sense the danger if it ever comes their way.

“Cows stay close to the dungeon of course. But, you can come. In the morning and at night. Do your thing. And as a payment, you can take one-quarter of what they produce.”

That cheers them up right away.

They will not get rich with that. I figure two good cows and goats, must be at least sixty liters of milk. Enough for ten kilos of cheese. Maybe. Not to get rich. They seem excited. But… I think it’s not enough. “I also will give you what I don't eat in cheese and milk. You can sell that in the town for me. You can charge me twenty-five percent commission on whatever you get.”

They look at me confused. I know I need to explain. “You can keep one-quarter of what you sell to the others. That would be your seller's fee. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yes, yes, we understand,” Nora says. She has already figured it out. I bet she will be the one standing on the open market someplace selling produce.

“That is very generous of you. We will get right on it,” the man says, nodding his head.

The way his wife squeezes his hand and smiles at me, I think they are very happy.

“Your wife will. And your kids. You… You need to do something else for me. Or else, we will have a goblin problem here. Do you understand?”

As if he needed a reminder, LightsOut drops another live goblin. This time, he was not aiming for us as it landed screeching about thirty meters away.

They got scared, way worse than I did the first time around. But for me, it's just getting old.

“Hey!?” I say, looking up at LightsOut. “What did I say?”

“Oollie, I, friends, best friends… forever…” he cracks at me.

“No, I mean, I told you to get the dead ones. Don’t want to risk hunting live goblins.

“Oh… he alone. Sleeping.”

“Okay, wise ass. These are Nora and Verde. And their parents. They will be working for us. So you know.”

“Good, good, good. Lightsout likes little people. Oollie too.”

I want to pat him, but there is a nasty noise going behind us and I turn around to see what is going on.

And wouldn't you know it? Rocky has pulled the dead goblin's leg off his body and is deep in his blood, chewing it like that is extra crispy deep-fried chicken. I have no heart to stop him. He looks so happy.

The kids are scared. Their parents, terrified. Even the mother. She tries to look brave, but all I can see is fear. And then she just clicks. Nods her head. Figures it’s a good thing there is a dungeon that feeds on goblins and not human flesh. Smart woman. I like that.

“Yeah, don't worry about Rocky,” I tell them, waiving the whole eating incident off with my hand as if it's nothing. “We are intending to make a vegan out of him. So, yeah, let him enjoy his last meat.”