Sara knew it was impossible, but the runestones never lied, it was impossible to fake them so the only conclusion was that Trevain really had gotten to the heart, probably even before she and Ben did, and it just took him a little longer to exit than it had taken them, is it possible he had gotten there four days before them and that was why the dungeon had become so hard to pass? If that was so then the man had first claim to any treasures extracted in their dive.

Trevain felt trapped, he thought he was prepared to defend his rights to the dungeon spoils but this woman was asking all the wrong questions, he cared less for the treasures the divers may have collected in their hasty passage through the levels, but the first to finish a dungeon had a boon from the king that could amount to a small barony and Trevain being the fourth son of a just such a baron knew it was his one chance at the title. The other spoils from the dive were the oil he hoped to use to hasten the process with the local gentry and a way to stab that annoying fool where it really hurt him, with his precious beasts and critters he calls friends like the savage that he is.

Three dazzling runestones were raised and the hall was flooded with a miriad of lights and colors, "Now lay the gathered treasures from the dungeon on the appraisal table and relay each item's description and method of aquisition", after a while the growing treasure hoard was getting less cheers and woes as another gemstone was added to a great pile of similarly magnificent gems, one more jeweled sword on a table with already a dozen wasnt the same as the first, the crowd was dispersing with only about a hundred staying to look, the sheer size of that treasure was impressive but each item by itself was just another line in a ledger, the last few items were enough to get some cheers with the dragon hatchling, the crown of stars and the midnight dragon egg shells topping the trove.

Royal regalia was crown property and there was nothing to do about it, weapons were divided between the army, the royal guard and the various adventurer guilds that had a claim in the particular dungeon, the rest was tithed between the expedition, the royal representative and the crown, so it was all meticulously registered and the adventurers in question had first pick from that remaining segment of the piled jewels and precious metals, they could also claim a single artifact from the secluded piles and were generously compensated for the rest, its was obvious the beastmaster would take the monster, but Aresh wanted to see what the others will try to take so he could get a better appretiation for the other items.

Sara took the necklace and looked with disgust as Trevain took an artisan's hammer, it was a wondrous and extremely rare artifact as they were rarely made and never sold outside artisan guilds and communities, he didnt deserve it, he somehow cheated, and she knew it but not how, the shells were absolute proof that he had gotten to the room after them and he added nothing to the pile from beyond the fourtieth level but his gem and the shells were proof that he had been to that room.

Aresh was extatic, it was his luck to be at the right place at the perfect time, it was possible for adventurers to turn in loot at their own guild court but if there was any dispute custom said it was to resolve at the earliest possible time and that meant turning in the treasure at the local court, of course most adventurers would just turn in loot to get more supplies and go back inside but some divers just robbed the dungeons and then left to make somone else rich, if that silly Trevain hadn't disputed their claim they could have just gone and he would only get his tithe as appraised by the guild, he was sure Trevain was pilfering the best bits from his lengthy expeditions but there was never any proof, and now Aresh had his hands stuck deep in this royal grab and he will be damned to let it slip from his fingers.

Ben picked up the dragon and was about to leave when the courtmaster cleared his throat, "What about the abducted queen?", So Ben called Emma and when Aresh saw it was only another of the man's collection of freaks he let out a sigh and shooed him away with a flap of his hand, Ben and Sara left while Trevain stayed to facilitate his deed for the title. All three signed their statements with their runes giving the letters a mystical shine like precious jewel were used to inscribe the scrolls.

The storm was letting off outside and the the children were eager to run and play in the Vine Hollow dungeon as it was lately named, when the deluge of yesterday gave way to a soft morning drizzle many doors burst open to see young boys and girls with leather boots running in the puddles and racing to see who would claim the vines and play the brave defenders fending off against the monster hoards and who would be cleansing the vines from the infestation of semi sentient tribes of giblins and gnolls that has settled there, each child was the hero of their own little world and they will all be victorious when the day ended, some older siblings were called on duty to watch over the youngsters but they were drawing lots to see who got to go to their old playground and who had to stay and do chores or work at the many shops and duties of young folks in a busy town.

When they reached the dungeon something was differet, the old dusty hole was replaced by a trio of stone slabs with a curtain of vines blocking the entrance, the children ran inside after over a month away from their favorite playground and the youths looked with worry at the changes to a place that had been the same since their grandparents were little.

Inside they found a dreamland filled with colorful flowers covering a graceful meadow and amongst them were fairylike creatures looking like tiny people made of light that played with the little children, there was no apparent light source it was as if everything was glowing and adding a soft aura of floating light to the whole scene.

Tam was running like evil spirits were chasing him, when he got to the town gates he was covered in mud and had a bruised lip from slipping on the uneven trail, the guards took him in and heard something about the dungeon changing, the commander sent a small group to investigate knowing that many children had used the break in autumn rains to go play at the little cave, they all had fond memories from the place and hearing something happened to it made them worry.

Azure felt the armed men entering his domain, it was like an echo of the feeling he knew well and it made him wonder, when he checked the little cave he was dumbstruck, the tiny core had populated the dungeon with one of his most fearsome tribes of elemental fairies, semi sentient beings that fed off feelings and thoughts of adventurers and then created illusions to suit their fantasy of what a dungeon should be, with intruders it was mostly fear and deadly traps and demons, but here the children felt safe and happy and the tiny dungeon now expanded and filled with light had become a true dreamland come to life.

Pirate ships were floating in a sea of flowers, giant dire bunnies had knights in shiny armor riding them and charging against fluffy monsters that vanished at the touch of a wooden sword, the guards couldnt help but laugh with joy at the follies of the children when they heard the first painful cries.