Isabella was so excited; she was on a new world and working for her mama and papa. The deep ocean felt different but nice, her flanks rippled with light. She used all her senses to examine her surroundings.

« Um, Glow where and when do you want me to set the portal. »

“Follow me youngster, we are close,” hir replied.

Glow at Darkening led their visitor to the local edifice selected to house the dungeon’s portal, it was sited at the end of a row of four nearly identical fortified buildings, fortified as in designed to keep things in.

Several representatives of the local guild and the world in general were also present. There seemed to be three races, Glow at Darkening represented the most numerous, then there were some very sharklike beings that seemed to be uncomfortable at this depth and the third were very squidlike but in Isabella’s opinion severely deficient in tentacles, honestly only six, and oversupplied with eyes, three!

Isabella flashed a welcome at the waiting dignitaries and jetted into the building.

The leader of the deep-sea people observed the exuberant youngster, poor thin only two eyes and what would anyone want with ten tentacles. Rippling Orange Highlights flickered a brief ripple of color in answer to the youngster’s rippling greeting before turning his attention to Glow at Darkening who was representing the mid-sea people.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone like her. Why so young?”

Glow at Darkening rippled his hide in resignation. “Adults of her race are too large to traverse any gate our guild could open.”

Isabella took a quick look round and jetting straight back out disappointed.

« It’s really very small, the portal I’m carrying just won’t fit, » she told Glow disappointedly.

Glow rippled again, “As I was saying, adults of her race are easily four times as big as the largest of our deep-sea friends.”

The committee conferred briefly then decided to keep the current gate house for future use and asked –Isabella to erect her portal further along the row.

Isabella did so extracting the needed bits and pieces out of her storage device. Once it was ready she activated the portal. Antonio felt the signal and connected the portal claiming a small area around it as was his custom. Isabella thanked everyone present and jetted home at speed not even noticing the defenses on the other side in her hurry to get back to her mama.

Behind her Isabella left consternation, they had been told what they were getting but had not really expected a dungeon portal, and definitely not one of this size that was completely stable despite the pressure differences on either side.

They started a hurried construction of a much enlarged defensive gateway.

* * *

Garostein and his charges had been travelling for almost a month and they were about halfway to their target when he spotted a mounted column of strangely dressed and equipped high elves. They were ghosting through the endless forests of Stratsiosina despite being mounted. And naturally the local dryads didn’t mind elves, they liked elves.

Stolen novel; please report.

Then someone behind him said something in elven.

Garostein turned slowly making sure to keep his hands in sight. The high elf behind him was holding a strange weapon, from the stock and how it was being held Garostein assumed it was some kind of crossbow. The elf gestured with his weapon in the direction of the now stopped column.

Garostein seeing no way out complied.

The younger of the two human women riding with the obvious leader of the small high elf army spoke common and started asking pointed questions, Garostein glumped, the damn girl obviously had some skill at truthreading and grinned – grinned! – when she caught him lying or shading the truth then she would ask her question again with a chuckle of genuine amusement. It was intensely frustrating!

Halfway through this interrogation the rest of his charges were brought in by half a dozen identically equipped high elves, they all carried those peculiar weapons.

Captain Valentina Kosmodemyanskaya had to admire Nadia’s technique, she was getting more out of the ork with her show of amusement than some intimidating muscle-bound interrogators she cold name. Major Alexander Manukov for his part was amused, playing the haughty high elves who couldn’t speak common seemed to fit the stereotype and was causing his ‘guests’ to be careless when they spoke amongst themselves.

This seemed an excellent opportunity to get rid of those bandits’ horses that had been slowing them down.

Alexander, Valentina and Nadia were joined by lieutenant Vasili Novosiltsev and they discussed whar to do in Russian, after all one or more of the refugees might know elven and be playing the same game they were. Valentina suggested offering to escort them to their destination in order to mine them of any and all information they might have regarding the Empire of Light. After all that little affair was not closed yet, all was not forgiven, not even close to being forgiven. The gods were just the first step.

Nadia giggled, “the Russian Empire will rise again! And if you need my agreement you have it.”

Alexander exchanged a glance with Vasili and they nodded.

So Alexander turned and addressed the refugees in common, “You can have our battle captures and if you want we will escort you to your destination as it is not much out of our way.” Alexander laughed at the expression on their faces and most of his command joined in.

Garostein and Patsy conferred with their fellow refugees. They decided to accept this exceedingly strange high elf’s offer especially as they were uncertain as to the consequences of refusing.

* * *

Green’Tor led his small command consisting of his fellow elf Sharp’Spur the berserker, the emperor’s favorite tax gatherer and seven assorted well equipped and mounted mercenaries. It only took them a few days to reach Bluestone Dungeon.

Green’Tor’s small force just proceeded to the entrance cutting to the head of the cue of adventurer parties waiting their turn. He stepped into the entrance of the dungeon alone and spoke.

“O Bluestone I have an official letter from the Emperor of the Elves for the Emperor of the Russians, will you allow us to pass to Midgard?”

He then stepped out of the dungeon and settled down to wait with his men.

Frazee the reckless an official of the local Adventurer’s Guild arrived breathless to keep an eye on the situation.

About half an hour after the next party of adventurers entered Bluestone dungeon a cat beastfolk woman stepped out the dungeon. She made straight for the Green’Tor, “I am here by Wolfgar’s grace to escort you to Antonio’s dungeon on Midgard. Antonio is willing to arrange for a portal to Moskow the capital city of Russia.”

“My name is Green’Tor and I thank you.”

“I’m Helena, please follow me.”

“Excuse me but who are Wolfgar and Antonio, and just who are you that can speak for a dungeon. Oh I’m Frazee an official of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Helena looked sideways at Frazee, “why I’m a priestess of Bast and my lady has a high temple in Antonio’s dungeon on Midgard and a shrine in Wolfgar’s here on Marcenium.”

She looked pityingly at Frazee and shrugged her shoulders expressively. “Surely you must know that Wolfgar is the intelligence behind Bluestone just as Antonio is the intelligence behind our Luso dungeon on Midgard.” Then she turned and led the way into Bluestone leaving a bewildered guild official behind.