Aelara, Yvone, and Ragnar jog towards the Dungeoneer’s Guild. They would run, but running adventurers can cause a panic. Jogging ones are surely simply training, or eager to turn in a quest and be paid. And though they all would appreciate the coin, they all feel the pressure of time quietly bearing down upon them

“How bad do you think it is, Ragnar?” asks Aelara. Though they’re all the same level, the friendly dwarf is probably the most knowledgeable about dungeons.

“Ah think we should join whatever adventurers from th’ guild are available an’ get back quick. Neverrest doesnae just refer to not lettin’ corpses sleep. It’ll nae stop ‘til one dungeon or th’other is destroyed, an’ a stronger Neverrest is nae good for anyone.”

Yvone nods at that assessment. “I’ve peered through the gate at Neverrest before. The place is… evil. We can’t let it grow stronger.” Aelara nods as they round the corner, bringing the Dungeoneer’s guild within view.

“We’re all agreed, then. We’ll make our report quickly, then round up whoever at our guild is available.” The three nod without their strides faltering, and soon enter the Dungeoneer’s guild.

Telar sits at her desk, two scrolls before her. One is for the Fourdock Dungeon, the other for Neverrest Dungeon. From the stats, at last inspection, it doesn’t look good for the new dungeon.

And judging by the looks on the faces of the adventurer’s that took her quest, things aren’t exactly looking up. She sighs and speaks up as they approach. “How bad is it?” she asks, hoping she won’t have to place the final seal on the scroll for the Fourdock Dungeon.

“It’s bad… but it could be worse,” says Yvone, prompting a curious look from the elf behind the desk. Aelara speaks up to continue their report.

“At the moment, the dungeon seems to be keeping Neverrest at bay, but it also seems to know that a stalemate is unlikely to go well for it. It… has also directly asked for our help.” Telar’s eyes widen in shock.

“It asked for help? How?! Does it have a Voice already?!” If it’s strong enough to have a Voice, Neverrest should pose hardly any threat to it, but it would also be much sneakier than anyone suspected.

Ragnar shakes his head. “Nae, no Voice. It does have signs. An’ scions. An’ a Resident.”

“Ah, yes, the kobold in white. Aranya, I believe. We discussed Neverrest when she visited, not long ago. She’s marshaling the dungeon’s defenses, then?” The party exchanges a look before Aelara speaks for the group.

“No. The dungeon itself seems to be seeing to that. It even wishes to work with us to assault Neverrest.”

Telar looks shocked. “Work together? How?”

“By walking through the gates of Neverrest, rather than the tunnels,” explains Yvone. “It seems to want to take the spider scion, as well as the rat and snake scions, and whatever adventurers are willing, walk the streets of the town, and assault Neverrest from the surface.”

The dungeoneer chews that idea over for a few moments, still looking like the party might be playing a trick on her. “If… if Neverrest is assaulting via the tunnels, it would expect a counter from the tunnels. It’s never cooperated with us in the least, so would assume any attack on the surface would have to be fliers, since we specifically kill anything that it sends out.”

She blinks for a moment, after getting a grip on the tactical situation. “It could work. It could actually work. Most people won’t know a Scion at a glance, and if recognized adventurers are with them, nobody would even raise a fuss.” Her professional look returns as she refocuses on the party. “When does it want to go?”

“As soon as possible. Neverrest will only increase its pressure the longer we wait,” points out Yvone, and Telar nods at that.

“Yes, it’s very persistent. Give me a moment.” Telar pulls open the scroll with the details of the party’s current quest, and signs it complete, before quickly starting another scroll. “Take this to your guild. It’s an open quest for all comers to help assault Neverrest. If Fourdock can take the core, there will be a substantial bonus paid to your guild, and to all participants as well.” She signs the new scroll with a flourish, and hands both to Aelara, who nods.

“Then we shall go.” Aelara accepts the scrolls and the party makes their exit. They had been hoping to recruit members of the guild for this, and with a significant quest from the Dungeoneers, they’ll probably have every adventurer in the guildhouse wanting to come along.

“Wha’d’ya mean ‘out’?!” shouts Ragnar at the balding and skinny orc behind the desk. He doesn’t have the look of someone who could lead a guild, but it’s a carefully-curated facade he’s kept from his adventuring days. It generally pays to be underestimated in this line of work.

The orc sighs and nods. “Everyone else is out on various quests at the moment. You lot were my emergency backup, and this is the emergency.” He gets up from behind the desk, and motions for them to follow as he leaves the office on the second floor of the house. He talks as he leads them down the stairs.

“And while it’s not ideal, I get the feeling you three will be able to handle this crisis. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to give you some help. Even without the quest reward, a chance to actually remove Neverrest would be a boon to this guild.” He leads them to the basement, and a large door. He smirks at them as he opens it, revealing racks of weapons and armor, clearly with potent enchantments.

“Those guild dues have to count for something. Whatever you see fit will be loaned to you for the duration of this quest, but do only take what you can use.” Even with that caveat, the three adventurers look like kids on Christmas morning.