Despite Gro Khal’s proclamation, there was no way we were going to keep drinking while the kids were still awake upstairs. One or two were fine, even if Danella was a lightweight. The alcohol just made her dote on the girls even more than she was already going to. It was already after dinner, so they were spoiled with gifts by their auntie and uncle before heading to bed, and we returned to the lounge.

  “Maybe something a little stronger this time,” Gro requested as everyone except Tabitha got comfortable. She went to place an order for drinks and snacks from the tavern.

  “So, just to be clear, you’re all going to the Southern Continental Dungeon?” Danella asked, having sobered up in the meantime, and casting a motherly eye at the three of us left in the room.

  “Before we get into things, I have to warn you both that this talk is confidential, okay?” I said sternly. “I want to get your opinions on some things, so some of the topics we’ll be discussing are sensitive. It will get pretty heavy, so I want to be sure nothing gets out.”

  “Oh, a conversation with Badger that we’re not supposed to talk about. That’s a new one,” Gro Khal joked before waving his hand. “You know you can trust us.”

  “Yes, but I also thought I could trust someone else close to me and it turned out they sided with the enemy,” I said, scowling.

  Danella and Gro gave each other a look. Frowning, the priestess looked back at me. “I swear on the goddess of the sea, Sasalarn, that I will not speak of anything said here today,” she vowed seriously.

  “I don’t have anything quite that binding,” the Orc sighed, also sporting a frown. “But I swear on the name of my father, Drom Khal, that your secrets are safe with me.”

  Nodding, I turned as Tabitha came back into the lounge and shut the door behind her. “Britear will tell us when our order is brought to the door. They know not to disturb us,” my wife said before looking at where everyone was seated.

  There was room on my chair for the two of us, but she chose to sit between Danella and Dalsarel on the couch, likely to protect the latter after the former got back to drinking. The priestess could be a menace.

  “Thanks, Tabs,” I replied with a soft smile before returning to the conversation. “And, to answer your question, yes. The four of us will be going as a special operations team. Our job will be to scout ahead for potential dangers and, if we think something will be too strong for the bulk of the expedition, take them out. So far those are our only orders.”

  “But it’s never that easy,” Gro said with a shake of his head. “Special operations shouldn’t mean just scouts. That might be how you start off, but there’s going to be more than that.”

  “You’re right,” I acknowledged, shrugging. “Like I said, those are our only orders so far. We’ve also got a leg up on nearly everyone else since we’ve been given some special advantages.”

  “How many teams are there?” Danella asked.

  “We’re working with the Department of Dungeons, and the only other one I know of is sponsored by the Adventurer’s Consortium, led by Teladora Whizzlefizz,” I answered.

  She blinked in surprise. “Of the House of Fate and Flames? The one who can literally burn down dungeons?”

  “Careful, that’s one of Badger’s triggers,” Ferrisdae said quietly, as if she wasn’t sure she should be talking during this conversation. I could see why; we were an old adventuring team, it would be a lot like trying to have a discussion with your parents and their friends without having the years of camaraderie that came with it.

  But that’s not what I focused on.

  “She shouldn’t be able to!” I retorted with a scowl. “You can’t just burn down dungeon magic. Teladora has to have some kind of knowledge about dungeons that we don’t, because it shouldn’t be possible.” Looking around at the others, I coughed into my hand and looked away. “Yes, that Teladora.”

  “And that kind of firepower is going to be very handy when we’re on a continent that’s all dungeon,” Tabitha stated matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah,” I grunted, not liking it but knowing it was true.

  Danella turned to the two Elves. “And you’re both okay with this?”

  “Yes,” Dalsarel answered immediately. “Given the severity of the situation, we both feel as though the only option is to fight. Since we can help protect the continent, we will.” Ferrisdae nodded in support.

  “Wait, protect the continent?” Gro asked, chuckling nervously. “It’s not really that bad, right?”

  “It’s that bad,” Tabitha answered with a solemn nod. “From what Badger tells me, the creature who united the whole dungeon down there, a Dungeonborn named CC, wants to do the same with us and burn it all down.”

  “What? Why?” The Orc’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

  “Her brother, the Dungeon Master, says that their dad is dead, but she doesn’t believe it,” I responded. “Seems like she’s obsessed with that belief, too, calling it her destiny to chase after him. So he’s somewhere and, after giving it a lot of thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that she thinks he left our world for another.”

  “Your order is here,” a deep female voice said from above the door to the tavern. Britear, the green axe that belonged to Tabitha, glowed as she spoke, but quickly dimmed.

  “I’ll get it,” Ferry volunteered, standing up quickly to retrieve the order.

  Six glasses of various types were sitting on a tray on the other side of the door, as well as snacks to go with it. She was quick to dole them out, setting the food on the tables nearby where everyone could reach them.

  “We’ll drink from the private collection now that we have something to munch on,” Tabitha stated, downing half of her wine in a single go.

  “Thanks, Tabs,” Danella said before looking at me. “What do you mean another world?”

  “Have you ever read Of Dragons and Dungeons?” Ferrisdae asked, almost blurting it out. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  “Of course I have,” the priestess scoffed, holding a hand up to her heart. “You’d think I wouldn’t?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “I have, too,” Gro offered. “Shame that Norsky passed away before releasing his final book. I heard Kristei is being considered for writing the final part, though.”

  I shot Ferrisdae a glance as she started getting excited to talk about her favorite series, but she didn’t go off on a tangent. “One of the things the Dungeon Master had access to was thousands of books in languages that Oristrella, a White Dragon that collects literature and has lived for hundreds of years, couldn’t recognize,” she went on to explain. “We think that we’ve got a Mr. Frost situation on our hands.”

  Both Danella and Gro looked pensive, but I frowned. “Wait, what?”

  “Have you still not read it after my recommendation?” the Forest Elf asked, sounding a little hurt.

  “A lot has been going on,” I deflected.

  Danella answered for me. “It’s been a while, but there were theories that Mr. Frost was from another world separate from Runathir, the setting in the books. It wasn’t explored very well since he was an antagonist and the author chose to focus more on other characters, but it was a wild thought that spread pretty far for a while.”

  The glance I gave Ferrisdae intensified as I turned to her. “And you didn’t think to bring this up when Oristrella mentioned this in her cave?” I asked flatly.

  “Hey, I just thought he was an outsider to her dungeon, okay?” she asked defensively, crossing her arms. “How was I supposed to know that she meant the Dungeon Master was from a whole different world?”

  “He’s not,” I replied. “If he was, then I’m sure he would have mentioned that. But that stone slab with the books on it was his father’s personal… whatever it was called. So, yes, we think that their father was some kind of world hopper. One who wasn’t born here. We already know there’s no hidden continents out there thanks to the efforts of Porolo Sitchken, so that’s the impossible conclusion we have.”

  “That’s wild,” Gro said. “I mean, there’s always stories and rumors, but to think they might actually be true for once? I’m not sure you’ve got enough alcohol for me to wrap my head around it.”

  “I felt much the same way,” I admitted with a sigh, putting a hand against my temple. It certainly had given me a headache when we first discussed it. “The intel we’ve managed to gather in the last few months points to CC believing he left here, too. The only one who could possibly verify this has been tight-lipped about the whole thing, though, so it’s just conjecture.”

  “Wow, that is pretty heavy,” Danella said, leaning against Tabitha with her wine glass already empty. “But that doesn’t sound like something you need our opinion on. None of it has so far.”

  I shared a look with my wife before getting up to go to the liquor cabinet. “That’s because it’s not what we really wanted to talk about. This was just some background,” I replied as I unlocked it and pulled out a bottle of wine and some more whiskey. “Gro, you might want to down that.”

  “Never like hearing that,” the Orc sighed, but did as I suggested.

  Before I kept going, I refilled everyone’s glass. Ferrisdae drank the rest of hers so she could have a refreshed cup, while Dalsarel was still nursing her first one. Once everyone was taken care of, I left the bottles on the center table and sat back down in my chair.

  “Ferrisdae and I fought against CC’s Cult of Chaos and those in charge of it,” I started. “Abara the mimic, the Blackthorn Queen, which was a type of nymph that greedily took everything the land had to offer before moving on, and finally, Ulrich Throm.”

  Danella nearly dropped her glass, but Tabitha caught it for her. Gro was just as surprised, but recovered quicker. “Ulrich’s still alive?” he asked. “He’s been missing for the better part of a decade. I just assumed he finally took on a challenge he couldn’t meet.”

  “Wait,” the priestess said, waving her free hand. “He’s a part of all this on the other side?”

  “During the attack on New Frausta, he appeared when he sensed Badger coming home,” Tabitha explained, glancing at me for a moment. “He claimed that he didn’t realize we lived here after I was caught in one of his crony’s grudges. But, you should have seen him. He looked like he did when we first met him, but covered in strange runic tattoos.”

  “Like he wasn’t an old man anymore?” Gro asked, leaning forward to pour himself another glass.

  “Ulrich definitely had the body of a 20-something year old Human,” I confirmed. “Once he saw that it was us, he used his magic to put our tavern back together after an ambush on Tabitha failed to take her out. He made people disappear in the blink of an eye, and he was transmuting our furniture back to the way they were before the fight. All without a word.”

  “That sounds like him, though,” the Orc said. “He was a pain in the ass, but he was always quick to help out if any of us needed it.”

  “And now he’s a part of this Cult of Chaos?” Danella asked incredulously. “He was always so skeptical of religions and gods. Not to the point where he’d dismiss them, but he was all about gaining power his own way.”

  “And he found it, down in the Southern Continental Dungeon,” Tabitha stated. “Though he did say he wasn’t a true believer and CC knew that, so I think it’s safe to say that he’s simply using her and vice versa.”

  “The only way he’d stick around is if he felt he could get stronger, and it sounds like that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Gro sighed, putting a hand over his face. “I remember how hard you had to try to keep him in line, Tabs, always having to knock him down a peg or two. He always thought Reliable Rhodes would be better off with him in charge, even when you proved him wrong. And I still have nightmares from some of the quests he’d pick for us when we were doing our rotation. At least one of them ended up going well for us.”

  When he raised his glass towards me, I scowled. “That’s—” I cut myself off and schooled my expression. “Yes, things did get easier for the rest of you when I joined. You’re right.”

  Both Ferrisdae and Dalsarel were looking at me curiously, but I stared into my glass instead of meeting their gaze.

  Reading the wrong thing from their look, Danella spoke, her words already slurring slightly. “The only thing he cared about was strength.” She reached over Tabitha and put a hand on the Dark Elf’s shoulder. “He didn’t even look twice at me, and I know the effect I have on men. It was even worse back then. Just cared about bulking up his spellbook and his body. Too much muscle, if you ask me. Completely unattractive. You know?”

  “I can’t say that I do,” Dalsarel replied as Tabitha grabbed the priestess’ arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. Danella leaned into her, as the lightweight was already in her cuddly phase. “But, if I may ask, what changed after Badger joined? It could be pertinent since we’re going to fight him.”

  “You won’t be fighting him, I will,” I said firmly. “Because I’m the one he challenged.”

  “Yes, Badger,” Ferrisdae replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “Because the rules of engagement are always followed. We are your team, which means any fight you get into is a fight where we back you up.”

  “She’s right,” Dalsarel said with a determined nod. “We have your back.”

  “It’s one story,” Tabs added softly, and that’s what made me scowl.

  However, she was right. “Fine, one,” I relented, holding up a single finger. “And then we talk about Ulrich. He’s not going to let me go without a fight, especially now that I’m a paladin again.”

  “You’re a what?” Danella asked incredulously, leaning forward.

  Gro almost choked on his drink. “Hold on, you’re back in Tegril’s service again?” he managed to cough out.

  “Cheroske, goddess of community,” I said proudly. “But we can either talk about that or how I joined Reliable Rhodes. Not both. Some of us will be too drunk for both conversations.”

  “Only if you’re a lightweight,” Ferrisdae retorted.

  “Your ears are already starting to turn red,” I shot back, giving her a sideways look.

  Sighing, the Orc gestured towards the girls. “Tell the story about Badger’s dungeon and the absolute nightmare it was,” he decided before raising a glass to me. “Congrats on being a paladin again, old pal. May you always be blessed.”

  I watched as both Ferrisdae and Dalsarel mouthed the words Badger’s dungeon. The Forest Elf knew I had a dungeon spawn around me at some point thanks to Himia’s loose lips, but not any of the details. It was information I knew she had locked away in her head. This was the first time the other girl had heard anything about it, however.

  “Fine,” I relented, leaning back in my chair. “Go ahead and tell the story of the first time we met. But, then, we’re talking about Ulrich. I want everything you two remember, so stop drinking if you think you need to. It’s going to be a very thorough discussion."