Antonio was feeling peeved, one of his emissaries to Oceanis, in fact his first emissary had barely escaped with his life as the defences and defenders in the structure holding his portal on Oceanis had attacked without warning. He scanned his copy of the contract with the Oceanis Adventurer’s Guild.

The red alert light on the desk phone winked, “Hello Mr Reis, I trust you are having a good day. I have a query regarding my contract with the Oceanis Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Ask away Antonio, just let me call it up. Ah here we are, so what is your question.”

“Anything that says we can’t unilaterally cancel it and eliminate the portal when my agent was almost killed without warning when he passed though it this morning?”

“I hope he is recovering, let me see. Mmm, mmm, no even without that clause you insisted on you have all the grounds you need to rescind this contract,” replied Dr Pedro Reis.

“Good! Pedro please prepare our case as I am certain the swine will contest our action.”

“Can I hire a local, or rather someone conversant in their legal system to assist me?”

Antonio concentrated on the portal in question, withdrew his domain and cancelled the portal before replying. “By all means Pedro, and see if you can’t sting them for the breach.”

The two then exchanged some inconsequentials before terminating the phone call.

Pedro spent a few moments gazing at the ceiling in his office before asking his secretary to ensure the letter for his friend Darkfin got sent as soon as possible.

* * *

Some hours later on Oceanis Glow at Darkening was furious, the portal to that intriguing dungeon on Midgard had been closed. Hir ordered his PA to contact Darkfin and get that slippery lawyer into hir’s office as soon as possible.

* * *

In the Lawyers Guild office on Astricar Darkfin perused the letter he had just received from his friend Pedro. He sent for his nephew Deep Diver.

Darkfin was just putting the last touches to his reply to Pedro when Diver was shown into his office.

Darkfin smiled with genuine good humour, “Afternoon Diver, are you interested in offworld experience?”

“Yes uncle, but where exactly and for how long?”

“It’s a case, open and shut according to my friend Pedro but it might run non as it will badly embarrass the Adventurer’s Guild. The job’s on Midgard and might entail travel. The pay offered is...”

Deep Diver thanked his uncle and was soon on his way to pack and plan his journey.

Darkfin watched his nephew leave and grabbed his briefcase and overnight bag before heading for Oceanis. Time to see what Glow at Darkening wanted this time.

* * *

Darkfin contemplated his client, “So, yesterday the portal to the Luso Dungeon on Midgard was closed without warning and you wish me to contact the Guild office on Badonia to get this problem solved. The problem with that is that this contract is with the Luso Dungeon and not the adventurer’s guild.”

“Irrelevant, no dungeon can be that coherent, the Guild is ultimately responsible. See to it.”

“Well it’s your money, I’ll be back shortly.”

* * *

Shortly after lunch Ryan’s Crew were back in the bar ready to implement their decisions, Ryan had an arm round his wife Helen when she touched the blue screen only she could see and selected Mage.

“Hey guys I can get two spells, I want Sleep but should I go with cloak of shadow, kinda weak at this point but it will improve or silence?”

A short discussion ensued and soon Helen was touching Sleep and Cloak of Shadows.

Butch grinned, I’m gonna be a healer so I’m going with Cleric, he also touched his private blue screen. “Huh? Whatcha mean select a god, there’s only one God! Select a church? I’m a Methodist for God’s sake. OK done.”

Randy, the group’s solitary elf had decided to go with Rogue while his girlfriend Sue Ellen went with warrior. She wasn’t best pleased with the muscles she gained as a result of her choice.

Ryan’s Crew arrived at the Adventurer’s guild with ten minutes in hand. Tessana and Silverfin started up the CCTV coverage of their morning’s adventure and the two veteran adventurers went through th film with suggestions and praise. It wasn’t until shortly after five that the session ended.

Tessana grinned widely, almost maliciously as she left the room saying she would fetch the little adventurers they had asked to meet.

Tessana was soon back ushering in four young kids, two boys and two girls, all had the pointed ears of elves, blue or bluish green hair and a slightly blueish cast to their skin typical of sea elves.

Hellen sighed with resignation, she had known they were kids but she hadn’t realised that they were so young. A passel of kids aged between ten and twelve were going to ensure her husband and friends would complete that dungeon next time or die trying, and she included herself in that number.

Antor acted as spokesman for the kids, he had been the leader of the merry little band of truants and explained the fight with a few collaborative comments from his friends. He finished by telling them that they should ask his father, as all he had done was follow his parent’s advice and teachings.

The children left, obviously relieved to have gotten past this ordeal and Ryan and his mates booked the dungeon for the next day, two delves, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

* * *

Senator Faalx Smoothtongue one of the two Directors who now by default ruled the troubled Empire of light frowned at the reports. The Russians had been probing through the two world gates they controlled but recently they were smashing out of the small pockets they had held and their forces had captured the provincial capital of the province of Lunarion and they were well on their way to taking the province. The truly irritating fact was that they were wildly popular as they instituted a flat twenty per cent tax rate instead of the Empires official sixty per cent.

They also seemed determined to conquer the useless black swamps with it’s tainted waters and flammable gasses.

And now the United States, another damned state had built a formidable fortress around a previously unknown world gate just a day’s journey from the capital.

Director Faalx ordered the raising of two armies to deal with these United States barbarians.