Mary withdrew her attention from Tyler, Ava and Madison and cast her awareness further north. Her drow were active. Nightwind was leading his band as they probed in the direction of the coast. Mary presumed they were checking if the dwarves had left or not.

Nightshade as usual was scouting ahead of the band but Laasa seemed to have been promoted to second in command. Nightwind’s band had grown; he now led twenty-two well equipped fighters.

Something caught Mary’s attention in the godsrealm. It was a call, yes a call, but it was faint and it was only tangentially directed at her. She tried to dismiss it but it returned stronger than before. Mary ascended again, but carefully, wary of traps and ambushes.

Mary examined the call from all sides. Some half-wit god was trying to reach that pest Blackbeard regarding the southern drow.

‘Can’t be havin’ that. Have to set the fool right ‘fore Blackbeard gains traction in any attempt to regain the drow.’

Mary reached out and grabbed the thread that was blindly seeking. « So what do you want? Me I’m Speakin’ for the Drow. »

« Tell Vortexius Blackbeard that Rockheart Forgefire wishes to speak to him. » Forgefire’s mind-voice was gravelly sounding but it held a distinctly feminine lilt.

« No need for insults Rockhead. Tol’ you I speak for the Drow today. Blackbeard’s out. »

The figure of a dwarf with a full if singed beard wearing a leather apron started to materialize in front of Mary as she watched with a mocking half smile.

« Who are you girlie? And it’s Rockheart. »

« Spider Queen calls me Little Fish. »

« Very well, I guess you’ll do. Is the youngster named Xaar still alive? »

« The brain-damaged ungrateful little ass? Yes. »

« You will hand him over now. His mother wants him back. »

« Tough! »

Rockheart jammed her fists on her hips and glared. « Look girlie, obey me and I won’t turn the new gods on you. »

Mary laughed, looked at the indignant goddess, snorted and laughed again. She wiped tears off her face, and giggled. « What rock have you been hiding under lately Rockhead. And the answer is still no. »

Rockheart looked confused. « Rockheart. It’s Rockheart. You are being very reckless girlie. One does not laugh at the New Gods when they have the trust of the Greater Gods. Now hand over young Xaar. »

« The new gods can go jump rope. The Old Gods are goin’ to take back their world. As for the ungrateful little brat, tell you what, I’ll have him kicked out and dumped near where my people caught him. Soon. »

« You will hand him over in a formal exchange. »

« So your ill mannered louts can ambush my folk? Not a chance. »

A cold chuckle echoed in their part of the godsrealm and the Spider Queen phased in. « I see you are not very fond of the rock beetles Little Fish. Rockheart Forgefire you have my junior partner’s answer, and it’s more than I would have granted you. Now come along Little Fish we have things to discuss. »

Seconds later Rockheart found herself alone, then that section of the godsrealm was empty once again.

* * *

« Nicely done Little Fish. Those peculiar dwarven gods are either going to tolerate or hate you. And the rock grub might survive to rub salt into their wounds. »

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

‘Shark? I’ve been eating shark?’ wondered Frog as he made his way through the lively party. ‘These guys seem to know how to have fun, well most of them anyway.’ He concluded as he passed a couple of disgruntled looking individuals entering the yard with bulging shopping bags.

Frog nodded to the uniformed security guard at the gate as he left. He meandered across the road and settled himself comfortably against a tree laden with Spanish moss. Once settled comfortably he gathered his courage and called up his System interface.

The process if integration was fast and simple as he had had weeks to decide what to select.

‘Well I don’t feel any different now I’m a proto-dungeon. Nice that I can disguise that, so people will believe me to be human.’ He thought. ‘Another thing to ask Mary, wonder how far I can trust her. Wonder if that lot know they’re being fed shark? Right lets see, Dungeon Exchange channel...’

And Frog spent most of the next hour poking around all the options on offer and hunting out obscure facts. The last thing he checked was avatars.

‘Mustn’t do to underestimate the girl, she might still be a kid but she’s made it to the top of the tree and that takes ruthlessness and ambition. Avatars, yep, useful but out of my reach for now, Need to be level ten for a non-talking animal, level fifteen allows something better but still restricted. An avatar that can pass for a person and operate outside the dungeon’s domain is only available at level twenty or above. And they’re expensive. Glad I didn’t go for dungeon, I would have been screwed. No way a powerful dungeon would tolerate a rival this close to it.’

Frog heaved himself to his feet and headed across the street and stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. He contemplated the message that had flashed up as he was approaching the gate.

« You have found the Blue Lagoon Dungeon »

Frog squared his shoulders, nodded to the grinning guard and froze after stepping through the gate. All his new instincts were urging him to flee.

“’S all right little dungeon to be, Mother’s not going to bite you. Yet!” joked the wolf ‘folk guard.

Frog looked blankly at the grinning guard, registering him in his dungeon senses as someone or something belonging to the dungeon he was in, a specialised free willed dungeon monster, so to speak. He shuddered, ‘wonder what else the girl has on hand? Mother of Monsters implies real monsters.’ Frog shook his head as if to clear it and headed into this other dungeon’s domain seeking further information and help.

* * * EARTH – MARY * * *

Mary checked her fish almost on autopilot while the majority of her attention spread out as she balanced her domain. Lewis Carroll and Alice watched from the background. They tested and pushed at the new balance. Bluey’s new surprise had made changes in the balance between her domain and Lewis’ Mock Turtle setup necessary.

« ‘K, I think we have it right now Lewis. That thread through your domain is secure. I can’t see it being easily cut and it shouldn’t be able to affect your domain. Check it out again and let me know. »

Mary checked the Boat Yard and checked it’s limits, the subterranean living areas for the guards, the crocodile cave and still something was missing. The balance was wrong. She stretched her senses again and grinned as it came to her. ‘Beep! I’m an Ocean dungeon and this is for the most part a land dungeon.’

A flexing of muscles saw Mary’s domain flow out to sea until the itch that she had been feeling vanished as her latest extension’s balance flipped from land to sea. For the first time since the rebalancing Bluey had forced on her Mary felt comfortable.

« We’ve checked Mother. Everything is as we want it and secure. Can I install those turrets on Parthia. I – we feel we – need to. I – we’re not sure why but— »

« Divine influence maybe, other me’s beep the dwarves off, ‘cause they’re beep me off. You better prepare for a dwarven army, maybe more than one. Make sure to call for me when, if they come. An’ prepare a fall back position. »

Lewis Carroll felt a chill. Alice’s solid confidence in him calmed him. « When will this occur Mother? And can you lend or give me a – someone with the skill set to best use the Earth weapons you are introducing. »

« Not sure when. Figure on more than six months and less than a year. I’ll get a skill crystal set up to handle that. Frog’s back, gotta go. »

* * *

Mary ran a quick eye over everything, happy that no new problems had turned up. Her sister and her friends seemed to be enjoying themselves even if one of them did look a tad sulky. She watched as Frog approached. Not surprisingly he seemed rather wary.

“Hiya Frog, back already? You done?”

Frog opened his mouth but nothing came out. He nodded and tried again, “Yes Mary, all done, or at least with everything that pertains to Earth. Can you really help me with that link, with that other me and that feisty pixie?”

“Think so, fixed it from the other end several times. Probably scare that pixie of yours though as she’ll have a good idea of just what I am.”

Mary’s eyes flicked looking over Frog’s shoulder. She concentrated and her gate guard grinned and allowed the two dark suited crew cut figures to enter the yard.

“Say Frog, any idea why some government agents seem to be over fond of dark suits and really short hair?”

Frog jerked but managed to restrain himself from looking over his shoulder. “I’ve done nothing recently, why are they here?”

Mary chuckled briefly. “I’m the one they’re interested in not you. Mind, if they see you speakin’ to me they might want to do some investigatin’.” She gestured to one of her helpers and led Frog off again. This time they settled themselves in one of the yard’s showrooms. Mary noted approvingly that the new displays she had ordered were now prominently displayed.

« Mycroft, have you slipped that proposal for a patrol boat to Commander Meadows yet? »

« Yes Mother. » Mycroft answered with what seemed like a long suffering sigh.

“You comfortable Frog, wanna start? From prior experience the – intervention or whatever you want to call it takes five to ten minutes. The explanations an’ reassurances take far longer.”

Frog sighed and after hesitating for several minutes nodded. “Please go ahead. I need to know.”

“’K. Brace yourself.” And with that Mary made use of the fact that she was in her own dungeon this time, she gently intruded into Frogs soul link and strengthened it. Then she moved along it becoming vaguely aware of yet another world. She found Frog’s other self to be far more dormant than the others she had freed, but that someone had already been prying, quite successfully at the barrier. She quickly unravelled the barrier allowing Frog to wake and to meet Frog. She left them to it and turned her attention to the pixie.

Strelitzia had been examining the arena with her partner’s senses when she detected the intruder. The invading dungeon was terrifyingly strong. ‘Is this going to be the end of us? Gods it’s SO unfair.’

« ‘Lo little one. Do you need any help? This is a truly unpleasant world I’m surprised it still has pixies. »

Strelitzia shuddered and dared to hope. « There aren’t many of us left. Many creatures only exist in the various arena monster reserves. Why are you offering help? »

« I’m becoming a goddess, the more world’s I and my consort have a foothold in the better. So anything I can help you with? »