Captain Robin Goodfellow wasn’t sure how to handle this problem. ANS 32 had apparently been enslaved. His or her owners were holding a bedraggled and unhappy dungeon sprite in a small cage at the entrance of the dungeon.

They had been watching the small fort that protected the entrance to the dungeon for three days now. And thanks to Mother’s binoculars they were able to do it from afar. Every day a score or more slaves were herded into the dungeon and none of them ever left. The warehouse on the other hand was filling up fast with dungeon made goods. As was if more slowly the pen with the bizarrely dressed rabbit girls.

Robin ran through his new recruits and reluctantly dismissed most of them from consideration. They made good cover but only a few were to be relied on. Thankfully Seela the illusionist was one of those. She had even converted, as had the twins.

He couldn’t leave this for later, Mother had made it clear that she valued them more than unknown slaves and another helpless dungeon. This one just might surprise them though, it was being fed a lot of lives every day.

Robin decided. They would try this tonight. Two groups, one with Seela to capture the dungeon entrance and free the sprite. He would go with that group, as much would depend on what she could tell them about how ANS 32 was being held.

They would have to take out the sentries first though, all the sentries.

Robin watched bemused, how could anyone consider illusionists useless, thanks to Seela his tigers were able to walk up to the sentries unseen and do their job easily.

Ivy sat hunched up in despair. The cage they had her in was too small. Her back hurt! She blinked in confusion, was she finally going mad? The four guards had been throwing dice, then there were these tiger beastpeople and the guards were dead, and then the guards were standing around guarding the dungeon again.

“Evenin’ girl, we’ll soon have you out of that cage. What’s your name and how are they guarding ANS 32? We are here to free him, and you.”

Ivy gaped at Robin. “Why mister? I’m Ivy and my companion isn’t exactly smart. Why are you bothering with us?”

Robin ripped the hastily welded cage door open and helped Ivy out of her cage. Ivy almost screamed with agony as she was finally able to straighten her back after months in the cage.

“So how are they guarding ANS 32?”

“They have two guards in his chamber. Um, they’re playing cards.”

Robin fingered Mother’s crystal and sighed, “Jennifer, you take charge up here, kill ‘em and free the bunny girls and other slaves. I’ll take the twins and see about freeing the dungeon.”

Robin picked up the sprite and placed her on his shoulder. His nose regretted his kindness. “Well Ivy, show us the way.”

Ivy was still unsure if she could trust these people but she was currently free so things were better than they were. And there were still some monsters penned up in the depths she could use. So she led them to her partner.

The twins handled the two guards neatly and with dispatch. “Nicely done you two,” approved Robin before approaching the core, communing with Mary through the crystal, and then destroying the ritual circle that confined it.

Chee Jong-Su felt the dam imposed by the goddess break and he was finally able to reclaim his mind and soul. He felt his Ivy’s shock and joy and melted, he had not been able to realise how she truly felt behind the damn barrier that had imprisoned him. He thanked Mary Silvestre for his salvation and fought to bury his chagrin that he had been saved by a girl of less than half his age.

Jong-Su and Ivy were currently unable to defend themselves. They needed time. Mary for her part didn’t really want one of her dungeons at this location but she didn’t want the Korean enslaved again. So she conned him out of two future favours and left him with two mangrove filled caverns with assorted piscine menaces and several unpleasant snakes inhabiting the branches including a beefed up rinkhals or ring-necked spitting cobra that her other self had come across recently at the university.

Mary also agreed to try to find out how the original Chee Jong-Su was doing in Gwangju.

What to do with the slaves was another headache. That led to further negotiations with Jong-Su and Ivy and the establishment of another entrance to the Mock Turtle dungeon so that she could send them to Maalea on New Maui.

That done Mary found herself unable to ignore the bunny girls. Whoever had thought those up was sick. She didn’t need or want oversexed sex slaves in her domain but the poor things didn’t deserve to be tossed out. So, once again Mary spent time creating a new variety of beastfolk. The resultant creation was still oversexed and timid, but at least they had minds of their own now.

« Bluey offer the bunny girls this new template. »

« You lot, see that offer from Bluey. Say yes! »

« ‘K thanks Bluey. Anythin’ you want? Won’t promise to agree but guess I owe you a small favour. »

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Top was hungry again. Apparently regrowing a leg required food. Another large takeaway order later he hobbled out to explore the surroundings.

‘Time to check out those caverns under the park. I wonder if it’s a dungeon and if the girl has anything to do with it.’

On presenting his ID and the letter of authorisation he was allowed into the guarded enclosure. He was escorted round by one of the researchers who was able to tell him what he was seeing. Several species of vegetation that had previously been considered extinct and one dead and two live Deinonychus. Those things had been responsible for the most recent tragedy.

Having inspected what there was to see above ground he accepted Dr Fellows invitation to inspect some of the secured caverns. So they got into the newly installed lift and headed down.

« Who are you and how DARE you intrude upon my domain! » a voice snarled in his head. Top felt himself seized and was unable to properly defend himself. He collapsed to the floor of the lift.

Dr Fellows cursed, and waited impatiently for the lift to reach the end of its journey so he could set it rising once again. Experience had taught the researchers that some people were vulnerable to something in the caverns and had to be removed for their own good.

« So little dungeon, still think you can take over? What’s a rank beginner like you doing invading an established dungeon? Answer me! »

« I – I, we are tasked with protecting Mary Silvestre, I’m team leader and I only wanted to see if she had anything to do with this – this dungeon. »

« Are you planning to invade that one’s domain too? And this is my dungeon, she let me have it and I’ve improved it greatly. It’s mine now. »

Top became vaguely aware that the lift was rising again. The dungeon’s voice was that of a male, it somehow gave the impression of age. « Fine, fine it’s yours. I don’t want it. But why are you killing people? »

« It’s what dungeons do. »

« But the girl doesn’t seem to kill anyone. »

« Ha ha ha. Doesn’t kill! Oh god that’s funny. Ha ha ha ha... »

And then Top was out of the dungeon’s domain and he fainted.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Mary sat back in her armchair ignoring the television babbling in the background, she had been investigating all the dungeon specific information Bluey allowed her and things didn’t look good.

‘Looks like I’m gonna be confined to my domain soon, at least the true me,’ she mused fingering the huge diamond that adorned her necklace. ‘Seems I, or for that matter any dungeon capable of formin’ an avatar can leave their domain at any time but that means the core, me, would be essentially dormant an’ vulnerable. That’s where a companion becomes essential. Could get one of the pixies but they’d be useless under the waves an’ if I have to leave the essential me dormant it won’t be in the stupid caves.’

Then she went back over her other self’s recent activities and discoveries. That led to making further enquiries of Bluey.

‘Maybe I can make use of one of those marbles like Robin’s carryin’ around, link it to my domain and if human me gets killed or imprisoned maybe I can dismiss my avatar an’ vanish back to the sea. Think I, we can make that work. Be good for both of us. Now how can I get a companion that suits... Maybe Trish’s bet... Oh well other things to do today.’

Mary rose, stretched and headed for the door. Time to go and talk with a few marinas and companies that provided and installed marine motors. She spent a fruitful and expensive morning arranging things. She than bought an outboard motor so that she could get her new boat to the marina where the company supplying and installing the twin motors could pick it up. As later could the one supplying the instrumentation, furnishings and fittings. Then she could replace the toughened fibreglass with something – better, more durable.

Then she visited the accountant her mother insisted she use to ensure no nasty surprises at the end of the fiscal year. So now she had to explain where she had picked up the hull of her new sports cruiser, just as well she had decided too pay for the installations rather than just creating most of them.

Sunday, well Sunday she spent on her beach. The fish ponds were a surprise, apparently the Hawaiian couple had visited a few times and he had installed them as a thank you for the hospitality she and her people had invariably provided them on their visits.

She spent most of her time in the sea expanding her domain. The surrounding shores she ignored due to the difficulty they presented due to all the humans present. Not that she couldn’t, she just didn’t want to spend the manna needed to claim an inhabited area. Dancer’s presence made things far more pleasant.

As she had expected Dancer wasn’t interested in becoming a dungeon’s companion; far too restrictive for a nomad like him.