Trisha finally resolved to confront Mary about her plans, so she went through the usual long search to find Mary’s current location in the lagoon. She had become reconciled to the fact that Mary wasn’t going to hide her core at the end of a series of fortified caverns. The fact that she, with a link to Mary required a long search to actually locate Mary’s core suggested that Mary might be right not to place herself where she could be easily found.

« Yep, an’ I can get someone to move me outa the lagoon an’ then they’ll have a cylinder of ocean over twenty-five kilometres in diameter to search. »

Trisha sighed, and settled herself carefully between two of the big rays buried in the sand near Mary’s core. “Just what are you planning Mary, I know now, I guess I always knew your plans were different than any other dungeon I’ve ever heard off, but...”

« Hey Trish, my beep plans when we first met were far simpler than now. First and foremost is survival, yours and mine, now that includes a few more people. »

“Lots more surely, from the way...”

« Na, got something broken in me, always had, wouldn’t really miss most of the folk in my domain, I try to compensate yanno, but only a few folk ‘sides you and ‘Drina matter enough to me to be missed. »

Trisha could almost sense the sadness behind that statement. So after a moment’s silence she returned to her original line of inquiry. “So plans.”

« Short term? Well I’d like to give all who live within my domain a fair an’ prosperous life, an’ to give their kids a good education whether they want one or not. Clever well-read people will make my plans much easier to achieve. Oh, and to establish an armed merchant marine. »

There followed a short pause before Mary resumed.

« Medium term? Want a prosperous corner of the ocean with political influence if not control in the surrounding towns an’ settlements. Tha’ means no pirates, getting’ the law to be at most open to influence, an’ not for sale to the highest bidder an’ hopefully fairer government, fairer ‘caus government’s never goin’ to be fair. »

Trisha was stunned, this seemed reckless in the extreme to her.

« Long term? Those are nebulous, but at the least, Assist Ocidon an’ his allies to end this beep beep ice age Parthia is currently in. I can’t enjoy life in a frozen wilderness, ‘m not the Ice Queen. »

“And... and Ocidon knows...” Trisha sputtered.

« Yes, shared lots about Ice ages an’ beep climate change, knowledge from my old world, lots is rubbish but there’s a lot of hard data there. Ocidon’s confident we can do it, might take a thousand years, might take less but it’s doable. »

“So you intend to become the ruler of this area of the ocean? That could be dangerous, the guild is bound to object.”

« Beep no! Power behind the throne or thrones yeah, sitting up front as the ruler, no way in beep! »

“What about you? Your dungeon, your security?”

« Well, we’re still vulnerable to aerial assault, the sea wyverns help, but they too are vulnerable. As for the deeps, shallow waters and surface of the ocean I am sure we’re safe. Anyway I have a few other ideas I’m working on at the moment. »

“What about New Town and their adventurers.”

« The biggest beep danger there is complacency, none of them has penetrated far against my standard patrols, I have to convince myself that not all beep adventurers are as weak and useless as that lot. »

* * *

Harrassan was standing with his brother and Horaxanna in what passed for Silverton’s common.

“So is your business with the temple concluded satisfactorily?” Harrassan asked his brother.

“Yes, well not entirely satisfactory but we did agree to all Creevar wanted even if not to everything he wished for.” Sreecator paused briefly as he studied the flag flying over the town hall, “you know that’s the dungeon’s flag.”

“What! Since when has a dungeon felt the need for a flag, surely you mean it’s the flag the locals chose to represent their community,” interjected Horaxanna.

“No I’m afraid not, that’s the flag the dungeon chose for herself.”

They stood for a while in companionable silence; Harrassan and Sreecator watching the Sea Sprite entering harbour while Horaxanna studied the buildings around her.

“More beastfolk, I’ve never seen so many before,” murmured Harrassan to his brother who simply nodded.

“By the way the local high priest of this temple almost had a fit when I suggested that this would make a suitable neutral location for a meeting. Creevar was right, this dungeon is firmly aligned with Ocidon.”

They confirmed their passage back to Drakoton and confirmed they’d be abroad the Sea Sprite one hour after dawn on the morrow and returned to their inn.

* * *

Danilus Oakborn watched Sreecator leave his office in bemusement, he strode out of his office and gathered up two of his acolytes and they were soon heading to their temple.

Danilus led a short service to calm his nerves; he was watched by a couple of curious young dolphins who scattered when he was done.

Then he explained the offer that Creevar had had his priest relay for a formal meeting in this temple.

« Danilus you have done well, I will agree to this meeting, advise Creevars priest that I will await him here in twenty days time at local noon. »

Danilus bowed his head in respect to the representation of his god standing behind the altar.

« And don’t forget to tell that imp of curiosity the Voice of the dungeon. »

During the swim back to their home Danilus asked his acolytes if they had found anyone on the island that had a vocation. A rather slow exchange of ideas followed.

Danilus diverted to the Silver Dolphin Inn to inform Sreecator of Ocidon’s acceptance, then he returned to the fortress he called home and informed the Voice.

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Grraafgor sniffed the air carefully, something was wrong, something was not the same. He checked his longbow over carefully, made sure the string was sound and that the arrows were loose in his quiver.

Then he moved forward slowly, his ears twitching uneasily as he moved closer to whatever was causing his back to shiver in apprehension.

Grraafgor more sensed than saw the cave ahead of him; it was a combination of a musty smell mixed with the sharp scent of goblins with an undertone of infernal sulphur and the absence of any echoes in that direction. His eyes were only able to distinguish a vague blur at that distance but when he caught the sound of racing heartbeats in the entrance of the cave paired with a spike in the scent of goblins he knew he had been detected and that the goblins were hostile.

Two arrows aimed at the centre of the sound of the beating hearts settled that problem but Graafgor made tracks for home to lay the problem in his chief’s hands.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Another oyster, another pearl. Dancer had shown her his private oyster bed today, she was staggered at how fast she could move through the sea now and how long she could hold her breath. The fact she could talk to Dancer was the icing on the cake.

The blue notices kept coming thick and fast, skills, swimming, diving languages: dolphin natch, and cetacean. Whale song held the occasional words now. New level, stats all sorts.

She would try and find some time to really dig into the messages, maybe understand what was happening to her and a few of her acquaintances, but after the Con, maybe when she went on her mandated visit to her father in Florida.