"That noise is horrible! Are you sure it isn't a trap?" Amelia asked, wiggling a finger in her ear to try to stop the ringing.

"Yeah, it isn't lethal, just really annoying. It'll deafen anybody that doesn't take precautions. It also covers the sounds of any mobs moving around. Effective." Bill answered, opening and closing his mouth while he rubbed his own ears. "Plus, it lets anybody who cares know someone is in this hallway, which is part of the fun."

The noise in question was a terrible scream that sounded whenever the adventurers tried to move in either direction along the curving corridor. It didn't start until the group was far enough along that they couldn't see further around the bends in either direction. They were stopped where they were trying to figure out how to deal with it. As long as they didn't move their feet, it was quiet, so they were effectively frozen in place while they discussed options.

"What are they supposed to do about it?"

"Beats me! Our job is to give them difficult situations to get out of. The solution is up to them!" Bill added with a mischievous grin.

Timon was frantically making notes as they waited for the group to figure out what to do. Luckily, the scream didn't trigger for the observers, but they still had to hear it when the explorers set it off. "We need earplugs or something!" He muttered, noting that down as well.

They waited, occasionally covering their ears as the screams were triggered by Daphne and Melissa, the designated de-trappers. Bill explained that Daphne was the team engineer--principally concerned with mechanical traps and gizmos. Melissa, a ratwoman, was the team's magical expert. While the jackalwoman was poking and prodding with wires and probes, Melissa was patiently scanning the area through a complex optical device, flipping lenses and adjusting knobs periodically, or fiddling with various tuning forks and other mystical gewgaws.

The sound of metal clanging on stone echoed around the hall as the group finally hit on a plan.

"Clever! Pekka's cutting hand- and footholds into the wall using his mattock. Awkward, but should get them past the trigger areas." Bill beamed at their ingenuity.

Amelia could just make out what they were doing by leaning against the wall. The fox and the ratwoman were being carried by their larger teammates as they precariously traversed using the ledges the dwarf had cut out. He was in the front, one-handedly cutting the path while clinging on with the other. It was slow-going, but within a few minutes, they'd escaped the area and were able to proceed normally.

"So that's it? Just a loud noise when they walk on the floor? Doesn't seem like a big deal." Amelia asked, confused.

"We know it's just a loud noise. And that they aren't about to be ambushed. They don't know that. Dungeons are just big puzzle boxes. Puzzle boxes that are trying to kill you, but still just puzzle boxes. Rarely can you use the same solution to a problem twice. And if you do, that is probably a trap."

"Huh. I guess that could be fun. I like escape rooms, and this is kinda like that. But I don't think I'd like having to fight everything I meet." Amelia said, wrinkling her nose.

"See, even that is a puzzle. Those slimes we ran into? They're dumb, and will just attack mindlessly. But most sentient beings won't do that. The trick is to figure out what they want. Negotiate. Maybe you can get them to help you? Or at least, leave you alone. Just trying to murder-hobo your way through will get you killed fast. At least, that's how it works here. Maybe some dungeons are just death traps, couldn't say."

They continued following the team at a discreet distance. Amelia admired the stone carving that Pekka had done one-handed while climbing. That was a neat trick! Especially since the dwarf had been using a full-sized, two-handed mining mattock to do it.

"Next obstacle! This shouldn't take 'em too long." Bill announced, holding up a hand to stop them. Rakish wasn't paying attention and toddled along the hallway before Timon snatched the scarecrow and pulled him back. The party knew they were being observed, but no need to make them feel self-conscious about it by trodding on their heels.

"Sorry!" The scarecrow whispered. He wasn't capable of blushing, but he somehow managed to look embarrassed.

Melissa and Daphne were again called on. The way forwards was blocked by an iron gate, which should have been easy enough to bypass. However, it was covered in thick, sticky, and stretchy cobwebs. The two were doing their examination routine while the rest spread out to make sure nothing snuck up on them while they were stuck.

"What's the deal with this one?" Amelia asked as she watched. She wished she'd brought some popcorn. Although that would be pretty rude, having a snack while watching somebody else work. It would be awkward to share, too, she thought. Bummer.

"I think just a stuck door. Those are pretty common. Easy enough just to force it, but that might make noise. Plus, you want to avoid disabling it, in case you need to close it behind you or something. Like the last one, they have no idea if there is another trap somewhere, or if they are about to be attacked or something. These simple little obstacles are much more stressful than they seem. Gotta constantly balance forwards progress and caution. Stuff like this sucks up time. A few minutes here or there isn't much, but dozens of these things? You'll be in here forever!" He looked happy, seeing the team sweating a bit under the pressure.

The cobwebs were quickly dealt with. Daphne had a phial of something purple and oily which ate them away, leaving only fizzing black marks where they'd been. Picking the lock and teasing the door open only took her a moment after that. The group cautiously proceeded into the room beyond.

Timon's pencil scritched away on his clipboard, noting how long the group had taken to get through the gate. Amelia wasn't sure if they were just for posterity, or if the crocodilian had plans to make them harder, but he was writing everything down, it seemed. He pushed his bifocals back into place on his snout as they continued following the team. They weren't moving fast at all, so it wasn't difficult to keep up, even while writing.

Amelia remembered how slow they'd gone in the vault in Alder's clearing and when they'd come here to Elara to find John. Even though this was now a 'safe' dungeon, the party wasn't taking any chances. The goal was to do this as if it were real, learning from the experience. She could hear the occasional whispered instruction they were giving Boyden. The faun was on his first-ever expedition and was trying to soak up everything he could.

Voices from up ahead caused the party to stop, sending Margaux slinking ahead. Moments later the fox returned, reporting that there was a group of goblins stopped at a crossroads, possibly with injured members.

"Should we go help?" Amelia whispered to Bill as they overheard the scout's report.

"It's okay. They'll just be acting. Just having the mobs standing around twiddling their thumbs would be boring, so they set up little scenarios. This should be interesting! We can probably get a little closer, but not too close now!" He said, directing the last at Rakish. The scarecrow bobbed his head in acknowledgment, letting the others lead the way.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

There were about a dozen goblins from Elara--similar, yet different to the breed Amelia was used to. Two of their number were lying on the ground, next to a large wooden chest. The rest were further down one of the corridors, a few yards away. They were 'surprised' by the approaching party, reacting with yelps and shouts as they retreated, leaving their prone members where they lay. They had an assortment of crude weapons that they pointed fearfully at the adventurers.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! It's dangerous! Poison gas!" one of the goblins yelled, waving at the party to go back.

Bill just grinned, nodding his head. He recognized this particular scenario. He pointed to one of the downed goblins, who had white foam starting to bubble from between his lips.

"Just toothpaste! Looks great, though, doesn't it?" He whispered to Amelia in glee.

There was a brief discussion amongst the adventurers, then Neon, the draugr moved forward with a couple of phials he'd gotten from Melissa.

"Stop! Poison! Go back!" hissed the goblin again, the entire group of them backing up further.

"I am immune to poison. I will pull them away from the box, then treat them with these." The undead adventurer said, his voice a raspy whisper. He showed the two glass tubes in his hand as he approached, heedless of the green smoke that started hissing from the chest when he came within arm's reach. With no apparent effort, he grabbed the two on the ground and dragged them towards their group, carefully keeping their heads from bumping on the stone floor.

The goblins backed up as the moving corpse moved into their section of the corridor, but seemed to relax as he did nothing aggressive. After he'd lowered the two 'wounded' and administered the potions, he stood back, hands well away from his weapons.

"Our healer said they should wake within moments. I will stay until that happens."

"Huh. Real healing potions?" Amelia looked at Timon and Bill.

"Nah. Just coloured water. No need to waste the good stuff. We have some in the first aid kits if we need it, but they're just carrying props." Timon answered. Bill bobbed his head in agreement.

After a minute or two, the 'poisoned' goblins groaned theatrically, then leapt up, dancing and praising the draugr. The rest of the goblins lowered or sheathed their weapons as they drew close to embrace their 'healed' companions.

"Thank you! Very kind of you! We thought they were goners!" said the leader of the group. He was dressed in slightly better rags than the others. Amelia was surprised at the outfit, since all the goblins she knew dressed like everybody else, except for not wearing shoes. Rags and leather furs were definitely not standard wardrobe. More like t-shirts and cargo shorts, or boiler suits, at least from the ones she'd met.

The adventurers and the goblins conversed for a few more minutes, before the goblins departed, having told the group they were welcome to the chest they'd found. They claimed to have dragged it from a room some distance away and had just gotten this far when the gas started spraying out.

"See? If they'd just killed 'em all, they wouldn't have learned about the room that might have more treasure. Plus, they'd have to fight around that gas. Chalk one up for conflict resolution skills and a little compassion!" enthused Bill, happy at the outcome of the encounter.

"Yeah, and having a poison-resistant dead guy in your group." added Timon. He wrote something down, then glanced up at Amelia. "I think that was one of the ones Alder suggested. I made a note to thank him!"

"Alder? You guys consulted him?"

"Oh yeah! That tree is devious! We had to tone down most of his suggestions, but he had some really good ones. Lots of complex interactions and stuff. Real head-scratchers. I think originally the 'injured' were supposed to be diseased with something contagious, but maybe that was a different scenario. Anyways, he's a goldmine for this kinda stuff."

Amelia made a mental note of her own to give the tree a big hug. She hadn't done that in a few days and didn't want the oak to forget how much he was appreciated around here. He had been incredibly helpful in his 'retirement', between the gaming, helping out with dungeon scenarios, and coaching fighting. He'd certainly been making up for all the time he'd spent alone with just the squirrels, birds, and fish to keep him company.

With the draugr's help, the chest was opened and disarmed. They waited for the 'poison' gas to disperse, then gingerly retrieved the contents. Melissa scanned each item intently, flicking through her arsenal of lenses and sensing tools, before declaring them all safe.

"That's real treasure, too!" Bill said, pointing at the items they'd laid out on the floor to divvy up. "Got the potion from Briar and the mask from Elisabet. One of the Fur Folk made the ring with Bellows' help, and another one did the cape. Figured it was only fair repayment for our testers. No real weapons though, too dangerous, but it's good stuff."

After verifying everything was safe, the ratwoman spent a little more time identifying each item. The rest of the party kept lookout and had a brief snack and water break.

"Okay, the big ones are the potion of shape-changing and the ring of regeneration. That one's a good find! The stone mask is gonna be valuable but isn't magical. The cloak, well ... look!" Melissa pointed to each item as she mentioned it, ending by donning the scarlet cape. It billowed and fluttered behind her as if there was a constant steady breeze. "Mostly just cosmetic, but the air effect cools you down, and might disperse gas." She struck a heroic pose to show off the item.

There was a hushed discussion as they figured out who got what. In the end, the ratwoman took the ring, since she was the designated medic. The rest they shoved in a pack to deal with later.

"I want a cape like that! That's neat!" declared Rakish, watching enviously as the garment was stowed away.

"I know, right? We'll ask Olavi later! Maybe he can add it to my cloak! We can strike dramatic poses in front of all that oppose us!" Amelia enthused.

They were interrupted by a roar from further down the hallway. The observers jogged down to find the adventurers locked in a melee with a huge minotaur, his foam club scattering them as he flailed about.

"Timon? Did you see what happened? I didn't think he was supposed to attack right away?" Bill queried the crocodilian.

"I checked -- the encounter roll came up 'automatic attack'. Only like a 1 in 36 chance, but it happens." Timon did his approximation of a shrug. His shoulders weren't built to move that way, so he just flared his arms out slightly to give a similar effect.

They watched the melee from the corridor, doing their best to stay out of the way. Pekka and Neon kept close to the minotaur, shielding their squishier party members. Boyden held back, after almost hitting the draugr with one of his javelins. The others circled at a safe distance from the club, trying to get a good shot in. The room was large enough that they could move around a bit, but not so large they could get far enough away they could focus on taking careful shots. They also had to watch out for the various boxes and sacks strewn around, posing serious trip hazards.

Amelia thought the fight was over when Neon managed to grab hold of the huge club, the draugr dragging the weapon to a halt. Pekka dashed in to finish their opponent off, but the minotaur was so strong he managed to whip the club around with Neon still clinging to it, knocking both flying into a wall. Their plate armor made a tremendous racket as they smacked into the stone, then rebounded onto the floor. The dwarf's spear rattled past the observers in the hallway, well out of his reach.

"Um, should we ..." Amelia started, but Bill just shook his head.

"Just be ready to move if they come this way. Exciting, isn't it?" He asked, his eyes gleaming at the action.

Darts pelted the monster as Melissa and Daphne tried to draw him away from the two momentarily stunned tanks. Margaux managed to score a bite on his heel, the 'wound' glowing bright red to show the hit. Boyden lunged in with his spear, but it was blocked before he could make contact.

They had done lots of many-on-many and many-on-one drills in practice. It made much more sense to Amelia now, seeing the chaos that 'real' combat devolved into. Even though this was just for practice, it had a lot more verisimilitude than the sessions in the field or Alder's clearing did.

It took some effort, but the standing adventurers managed to draw the attention of their foe away long enough that Neon and Pekka could get to their feet. The draugr dashed back into the fight, his spear lashing for the minotaur's vitals. Again, the creature managed to deflect the blows with his huge club, moving way faster than his bulk would imply.

"Wait! That's a real ..." shouted Bill, lunging forwards.

It was too late. Pekka had pulled the mattock from its place on his back and struck a mighty blow to the minotaur's leg. Blood spurted as he yanked the tool free. The foe bellowed in pain and rage, driven to his knee by the crippling injury. The dwarf's powerful shoulders turned the momentum of the mattock's backswing into an overhead arcing blow, aiming for the center of his target's head, now in range.

"Stop!"

But the metal tool was already driving inexorably down in a killing shot.