A small group of like-minded friends and associates were meeting in an Algarve hotel room. The driving force behind the group was Justin Stryber a self professed Social Justice Warrior, the other six people present represented various stripes of animal liberation movements.
“I heard that along with the rats and frogs, they have a poor Goblin in there, we have to break in and free them.”
“And that latest story, crabs and lobsters too! Poor crabs, just like that billboard in Baltimore said they deserve to live. But how do we get in?”
“We get a crowbar and some bolt cutters, and the PETA guys are going for a repeat of their protest on Friday so we can use them as a diversion, they’ll be on our side.”
“Right I recon we’ll need stout boots, nets, some pet carriers...” and the detailed planning for the great dungeon liberation day got underway.
* * *
Felicia acting as Voice checked in with Lilly and Silverfin, Silverfin for his part was currently more interested in his local headache and asked those present what they knew about the purported second wave transformation the three new sea elves had alluded to.
“Dungeons are part of the second wave, aquatic races were not, we assume the races to be added by the system are not set in stone,” stated Felicia.
“What!” Said Lilly. “How?”
“As you know Antonio was diving when the change hit, that’s why he ended up a dungeon, a second wave transformation according to the System. I think that meant that no aquatic transformations were envisioned for the second wave. But enough of this, what do we need to comply with our new contract with the deep water races.”
“At the simplest, a large, and I mean very large portal, one capable of being easily used by Jezebel. I would prefer to have an attached guild building with a suitable staff. We would have to recruit among the underwater races.” Stated Lilly.
“How near to the coast, how deep, inside or outside territorial waters?” asked the Voice.
“We will need to discuss those points with our colleagues, the gate must come first.” Silverfin explained.
“The terminus of the portal will need to be inside our domain,” asserted the Voice.
* * *
Antonio was having a frank discussion with Jezebel when he noticed that the idiots were back. He apologized to his roving boss for having to cut their chat short, confirmed their previous plans including those for the defense of the dungeon and withdrew his attention from Jezebel.
Hurriedly he made sure the new trilingual warning notices were in place at the play cum training dungeon. There were more of them this time, draping the fence with their stupid banners. Antonio watched with resignation as some twenty protestors chained themselves to the fence.
A group of seven laden with nets and boxes broke off from the chained group and approached the padlocked gate, one of them produced a set of bolt cutters. ‘Mmm this might prove amusing after all,’ thought Antonio as he directed the slime that lived in first chamber to hide.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He then placed a call to the GNR reporting the return of the protestors.
* * *
Justin Stryber looked at the notice secured to the chain link fence by the gates and almost ignored it before noting that there was an English translation beneath the section in a foreign language.
‘Please be aware the power is switched of at nights, danger within.’
Justin snorted contemptuously and plying his bolt cutters threw open the gates, then he and his associates walked to the new double gates – liberally adorned with warning notices – that blocked the passage into the dungeon itself. Once again the bolt cutters came into use, this time aided by a couple of crowbars. The new gate was thrown open and two fair sized rocks were used to ensure that it stayed open.
Justin snapped the light switch in the passage down but nothing happened. Grumbling Justin and two others produced torches and switched them on before striding confidently into the dungeon that was now fully configured as an absolute beginners dungeon as understood by Silverfin.
They spotted nothing in the entrance chamber as they shone their torches about and proceeded through the passage to the second chamber. As they left a pinkish colored slime oozed out of hiding and following its orders and dungeon given instincts headed towards the noises it could sense. It moved slowly out of the dungeon in search of food.
Justin strode carelessly into a largish cave containing several rats and with some bits and pieces of currently non-functional tech on the walls and ceilings.
“Poor things, left in this bare cave with no toys to entertain themselves,” blurted Susie compassionately as she readied her net.
The rats attempted one attack and feeling outnumbered withdrew short two of their number who had been captured and were showing the liberators that nice thick gloves might have been as useful if not more so than their boots.
By the time they managed to reach the first floor boss room they had captured and caged seven rats, collected eight euros in coins and were all nursing some nasty bites. The last cave had a set of stairs leading down and was defended by a rat the size of a small terrier and all the rats they had chased out of their caves.
It was chaotic, but they managed to overcome the boss and his minions, the captives were caged, the two dead rats mourned and wounds plastered. The loot consisted of an anonymous potion and a bronze reinforced wood and leather buckler.
The second level was more of the same, rats, larger rats interspersed with traps most of which were fairly obvious. JC managed to break his ankle in one of the traps and they left him guarding the filled cages sitting on the stairs leading to the first level. After they dealt with the boss, another giant rat they returned to JR and deposited another two overfilled cages before proceeding to the third level.
There they found slimes and pit traps with slimes and the odd goblin and. Being totally unprepared for a fight, they suffered and were soon fleeing abandoning two of their number.
Meanwhile on the surface the pink slime was soon making its acidic presence felt amongst the chained protestors.
The GNR arrived promptly their commander having decided to deal with the protestors before tourists and press could arrive to complicate matters. They were greeted by hysterically screaming protestors and the scene of an obvious break in.
The slime was dispatched with ease, ambulances and paramedics were requested for acid burns and a tem was sent to search the dungeon for the ones responsible for the break in accompanied by a rather sleepy guide that had been sent by Antonio and had arrived just before the forces of law and order.
They collected a fleeing Justin first and sent him out of the dungeon accompanied by one of the guards, then at the top of the stairs leading to the second level they collected Susie and her best friend, from these two they got the story of the disaster on third so they decided to let the two young women leave on their own confidant that they would be rounded up when they left. They checked their weapons and proceeded.
They arrived just in time to save a newly trampled JC from the rats released from a broken cage. One of their number remained behind to guard him.
The two remaining members of the GNR were easily able to kill the goblins on third, and they were too late to save the two people that had been abandoned to their fate.