Magestica was getting a headache, she really didn’t like getting messages from self important deities and this was the second in less than a day. In the back of her mind she could D grumbling, her dungeon was even less impressed with whining gods invading his domain than she.

She sighed, yet another headache, now she sooth her companion else the local adventurers would have a bloody few days.

She needed someone she could trust absolutely, mmm, maybe she could make use of this, it was about time for her daughter Serenica to spread her wings.

Serenica found herself turfed out of her warm comfortable bed at what felt like the middle of the night. Recognising the signs she kept quiet and responded in the appropriate places. It really wasn’t a good idea to irritate mom when she was like this and D’s glow didn’t help her peace of mind. The most important people in her life were in a right royal snit.

Fact finding, well it could be worse, she managed to snatch a few moments to peruse her mother’s files regarding Starflare and her Bluestone Dungeon. Wolfgar it would appear was an ancient and powerful dungeon and Starflare was his second companion, mind you they had been together for over five hundred years. Wolfgar and Starflare ran one of the most powerful dungeons on Marcenium. More problematic was the most recent note citing that mom had drafted Moonbeam, Starflare’s young daughter to become the companion to the first dungeon to be established on Midgard. Bugger! The deceased Gods of the Pantheon of Light Midgard!

There was not much help in the files regarding Moonbeam and her dungeon. Just the fact that it was an oceanic dungeon.

So Serenica sent a message to Wolfgar announcing her arrival and gated to Bluestone Dungeon. She was greeted by a smiling Starflare. Wolfgar’s ruby was flickering merrily in a was that reminded her of D in a very good mood.

After exchanging the expected pleasantries Serenica started her mission and was flabbergasted when Wolfgar manifested his avatar and laughing out loud embraced his madly giggling pixie.

Sernica blinked, surely the news that two gods were having a hissy fit wasn’t reason for such outright hilarity.

“Well my little Star, let’s contact our daughter and see if we can’t get another shrine. It’ll be worth it to put those puling idiots noses out of joint,” chuckled Wolfgar.

“Wait, what? Shrine, what do you mean another shrine,” queried Serenica.

So Serenica was shown the Bluestone Dungeon’s new shrine. It looked like a glorified ever-changing puzzle trap. So now she knew the reason for a pair of insecure minor gods displeasure. By the shrine’s aura this Tyche was powerful. Further explanations followed and Serenica used the permanent portal between the dungeons to meet Moonbeam and her dungeon. A permanent portal between dungeons!

Moonbeam greeted her in her spacious air filled home beneath the sea and she could see Antonio in his water filled open cave. Moonbeam gave her a quick tour, she met the guildmaster of the local adventurers guild and his wives and children having dinner inside the dungeon in an obviously popular luxury restaurant. Saw a major temple and a shrine to different goddesses and civilians enjoying themselves on the beaches. All IN the dungeon.

Later when she returned home her explanations didn’t ease her mother’s headach but they certainly seemed to amuse D.

* * *

Ashes was feeling hard done by, she’d been suspended for helping Dennis, how come Teddy, a member of the school’s wrestling team was so feeble that she’d been able to break his arm so easily, and he was a year older than her. And now Dennis was acting weird around her, almost as if afraid of her, maybe she shouldn’t have booted Randy in the balls. Males seemed to take that kind of thing personally.

She didn’t understand, if those feeble idiots didn’t want to get hurt, why were they hassling Dennis and his friends.

Well at least she had time to study her new home and that dungeon.

* * *

Garostein was able to locate the local senior dryad and was able to gain her acceptance of his new apprentice, Patsy stopped feeling as if she was under constant critical scrutiny and was able to sleep soundly for the first time since entering Stratsiosina.

The survivors of the caravan made their way carefully through the ever present world spanning forest and prospered. They had a goal, but they had a long way to go.

* * *

Slicer had joined the Firejacks, they had lost tree members in the ongoing orgy of hatred for the Empire and anything Empire related. The Firejacks were all Empire citizens and had easily filled their ranks from the flotsam that had ended up in the local Guild office.

The Guild offices couldn’t house the number of refugees that had sought asylum so on the night of the fourth day after the uprising the Firejacks left. They had a brief but bloody encounter with some local troops that were keeping a watch over the guild and faded into the night.

The heavy guard on the world gate killed their faint hopes of a fast evacuation from Auricia so they determined to pose as a band of adventurers from Astrikar and reinforced that image by the occasional grumble as to how cold it was. A common complaint from those born under the twin suns. After lying low for a few days the Firejacks left Alarsenia via the Western gate giving as their destination the dungeon town of Delver’s Haven.

They settled down in Delver’s Haven and started to recuperate their fortunes with regular excursions into the local starter level dungeon not so imaginatively known as ‘the dungeon’.

They gelled as a team, working well together and listened to any rumors or news they could get about the Empire. The news wasn’t good and Auricia remained very hostile to anyone from the Empire. They had to leave somehow.

So just over a month after arriving in Delver’s Haven they left for Tratopolis hoping to use that town’s world gate to Marcenium, a world that was never in any way part of the Empire of Light. Their story served them well, probably because of the amount of time that had passed since the uprising and after forking up the necessary fees and bribes the Firejacks found themselves on Marcenium, in the trade town of Drover’s Way.

They were finally able to relax despite being once again short of cash. So after enquiries they made their way to the Adventurers Guild in search of employment.