Bolithco screamed as the alpha of the werewolf pack caught him as he fled from the scene of the disaster and tore him to pieces.
Later that day the clerks at various Adventurer’s Guild offices noted that the Were Quest was once again available.
* * *
Trisha and Mary watched with interest as several groups of New Town based adventurers attempted to penetrate her domain. None got far but according to Pete they were satisfied with their progress and the rewards they had gained during the delves.
Her coinage was starting to spread, she knew it was vanity but all her coins bore Ocidon with trident and conch on one face and a leaping dolphin on the other and they had a proper rim to discourage clipping.
New Town was growing, it now held something that from Pete’s descriptions reminded her of a youth hostel, a couple of taverns, three shops and several houses.
And now finally her were was on it’s way, luckily they had boarded the Blue Wyvern and she had been able to reassure herself as to their intentions. Ocidon’s reassurances and explanation of the temporary rift between Creevar and Azurea confirmed her decision. Beside the irony of being given what she needed by followers of one of the new gods was delicious.
Harrassan looked past the three figures bent over the lee rail of the Blue Wyvern at the low lying islands that had climbed over the horizon and were slowly growing larger, they seemed to be headed for the twin towered castle at the south end of the island they were approaching. They had been in the Blue Lagoon dungeon’s domain before the islands became visible on the horizon.
“Well brother, while we were messing about with two dungeons that kept running away this one was making alliances and playing at politics,” observed Sreecator. “Just let me go and heal those three again,” he added indicating Avor, Essa and Horaxanna bent over the ship’s rail.
“What do mean playing politics brother?” asked Harrassan as Sreecator approached after easing the grateful sufferers’ sea sickness.
“Creevar warned me last night. This dungeon is a formal ally of Ocidon and the Old Gods, not a follower or worshiper. An ally. She, and this dungeon is both intelligent and a female, was able to trick both Azurea and the System. She has been rated Elite+ because they couldn’t legally classify her higher. Arranging a crusade to destroy her was flatly vetoed by Ocidon.”
“Does Creevar want us to classify her,” asked Harrassan.
“Creevar No! The team that was sent to evaluate this dungeon about a month after she established herself was the Stinging Hornets. She killed them all in the first encounter. No Creevar wants us to learn what we can and mend bridges in case the New Gods lose favour with the Higher Gods. We are forbidden from antagonising Mary Silvestre, the Blue Lagoon Dungeon.”
“Bah! The Stinging Hornets weren’t as good as us,” asserted Harrassan as he watched the ship ease its way into the channel between the islands and glided up to one of the harbour’s two stone piers and docked smoothly.
“True but they were close.”
They went ashore carrying their prize in a solid bronze cage. The Silver Dolphin was easy, it was the biggest building in the small settlement and the only one to straddle land and sea. The innkeeper seemed to be kind of excitable and disappeared into the underwater part of his establishment when they asked for Thomas Felix.
A large cat beastfolk male emerged from the pool that served as a stairwell for the underwater part of the inn, shook himself partially dry and approached them. “Morning, I’m Tomcat, sorry I mean Thomas Felix, I see you have completed our quest. Will you sell me the cage, if so how much do you want for it?” said Tomcat wile placing a small purse in front of Harrassan.
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Harrassan checked the purse and inspected one of the coins and passed it to his brother. “Interesting design, the cage? How about two guilders.”
“Fine, my principal suggested giving you seven imperials as a bonus for a job well done, I hope you’ll accept,” said Tomcat slipping two guilders into a second purse and placing next to the first.
At Harrassan’s nod Tomcat signed the appropriate document signifying a satisfactory completion then gestured to a wolfman sitting nearby, they grabbed the cage and walked away.
Harrassan looked round at his friends and then went to arrange for a weeks stay with Blacksand.
While Sreecator visited the local priests of Ocidon on business of their God; Harrassan and the rest of Creevar’s killers plus two wandered around Silverton, met with a dwarf who had set up shop to buy mithril, apparently one of the local fish had mithril teeth and decided to visit the so called Children’s Island. It was the small island on the other side of the channel to the harbour and they had noticed many of the local children swimming across every day.
They found the empty dungeon that was the target for the island’s children but the first room wasn’t empty. I contained a golden haired wolf woman chained to the chest she was sitting on. Offered help, she smiled and told them Mary wanted to try something and she was helping out.
The first lot of children soon arrived and were greeted by “Rapunzel” who explained the wicked witch had just chained her up and could they help free her by finding the key to the lock in one of the rooms below.
The children disappeared with squeals of joy and soon reappeared carrying a key and “Rapunzel” was soon freed, she threw open the chest and distributed the treasure, toffee apples one to each of her excited rescuers, then she took out a book, “look a fable from Mary’s former world,” and she opened it and started to read.
“Lessa woke, cold.”
Harrassan and his friends explored the rest of the dungeon, perused the tales and left an enthralled audience listning to a woman reading an unbelievable tale.
* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *
After well over a months travel Hell’s Mouth finally lost his patience and despite being fifty kilometres from the spot he had intended to settle in he started building his dungeon. He started with six very scanty floors of only three rooms each. He decided to settle his goblins with an admixture of the creatures he had learned so as to be able to gift his decoy dungeon on the first two floors. The third and fourth levels would initially hold goblins and demons. The last two would hold his undead and demons.
After a rest Hell’s Mouth started expanding and populating his level, the sixth. At Arborgar’s insistence he changed his focus to his first floor, adding rooms, traps and reluctantly, goblins.
* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *
Well another day of school was in the past, as she walked up to her new vehicle she spotted two guys studying it. She slowed slightly then realized that her jeep had acquired two admirers and she couldn’t resist a chuckle. With her height and strong heavy boned frame she had no male admirers – thank god – but it would appear her meticulously restored jeep did, and not just humans.
‘Gotta jerk their beep chains, maybe if I suggest fuzzy dice an’ paintin’ it pink!’
“... yeah gramps, and yeah its got that too...” The big teen said into his phone while the smaller boy passed a gentle hand over one of the front mudguards.
“Hi, what’s so interesting?” Mary asked as she strolled up.
“Hi, um... we’re waiting to talk with the guy that owns this jeep.”
Mary couldn’t help smiling, “yeh, well my brother gave it to me, I agree it’s not very girly, maybe if I added pink fuzzy dice an’ painted if a bright pink...” and collapsed against her jeep in helpless laughter at their horrified faces. “Sorry... sorry but I just couldn’t help myself...” she laughed again, “oh man! your faces, but you’re right this little beauty gonna remain’ green.”
“Is it...” started to ask the smaller teen.
“It’s a fully restored genuine 1968 M38A1 Truck, Utility: 1/4 ton, 4x4, or Willys MD,” said Mary remembering Flip’s friend telling her the same thing.
“That’s the Marine model isn’t it? Oh sorry the name’s Tip Kowalski,” asked Tip feeling a little disconcerted at having to look up slightly to meet a girl’s eyes.
“Dunno, have to ask Flip that.” Mary chucked her bag and fishing gear in the back and allowed the boys twenty minutes to inspect her latest pride and joy even opening the hood to allow them to inspect the engine.
She even gave in to Tip’s pleading and gave him a lift to his grandfather’s where she spent another half hour listening to the old mans reminiscences about his time in the marines before managing to escape for some much needed relaxation with rod and line.