Elmar looked at the troubling letter Tod the Tedsby had sent him. A barrier around a dungeon. The entire might of the ants had gathered and was waiting out the Troll Gor. But the Troll could apparently eat her slimes, and so she was not giving up.

And what were the ants trying to accomplish, anyway? Rip and Hiss were collected again. And wasn’t it weird that the two murder muffins had left Theanore in the first place?

Did they want to break the core, kill Gor? Elmar remembered Luca, who too had defended himself with all kinds of tricks. Who now had an army of goblins? What right did Tod had to decide that this Gor had to die?

What if someone had come and decided that Elmar had to be vanquished, back when he was a Lich? They would feel just, he was sure, but would they be right? For all Elmar knew, Gor probably wanted to be left alone.

The boy went and retrieved the teleportation ring from his mother’s jewelry box. He put it on and then blinked. He was in a volcanic valley overflowing with dog sized ants.

They recognized him and didn’t try to stop him, and so he searched for the Tedsby. Theanore shouldn’t have tried to conquer someone else’s home just because she couldn’t keep her mobs in check. Elmar was going to put a stop to this madness.

He found a raised platform that used to be stairs and got on it. He had given up on finding the Tedsby when all he could see was a sea of ants. Furthermore, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“I have no idea what your orders were, but cracking a dungeon core was not it!” Yelled Elmar, so he could be heard by all the ants. He heard noises and the clicking of antennas. But he couldn’t understand what they meant.

“You are mobs of the Apple Grotto dungeon. Theanore has sent you to conquer, but not to kill! The dungeon core of this dungeon wouldn’t give up without a fight. And why should you fight? To what end?”

The ant equivalent of boos carried across the valley. Now, that they were close to victory, they refused to give up the chase. But Elmar had a last trick up his sleeve.

“I, Elmar Hades Denrivir, court wizard and a boss of the Apple Grotto dungeon, do hereby declare this farce’s end! You are to build outposts around the already conquered land and to retreat. But leave a road leading to this dungeon, so people could still go inside!” Elmar didn’t know if he was a boss of the dungeon in truth, but the tittle of a court wizard could mean that, surely.

“You are no mob!” Came from a white fluffy koala like thing. Ah, so the Tedsby showed itself. “And you are not a boss!”

“I am a court wizard…”

“The ant Queen says that Theanore is no longer a princess. You have no claim to that tittle!” Translated the Tedsby. Ants approached Elmar, threateningly. His breath hitched when he saw their intention. They had been driven mad with bloodlust!

“I am a dear friend of Theanore!” Attempted to reason with them, Elmar. The ants didn’t stop their advances. Then, the goats began bleating. Elmar wondered if they wanted the first pick at his guts, when the Tedsby spoke again.

“Judith says that what we were about to do was bordering on treason. Attacking a child of the grotto is a grave crime. And yet, …what right do you have to snatch our victory away?”

Then, they heard laughter. Gor was eating a slime and laughing herself silly. The ants had cleared away most of the stone and had bared the final two floors. Only the barrier kept them from the Troll.

“Look at you all, the gallant tropes of peace! Ready to tear apart one of your own!” Ivar, the bloated corpse, attempted to laugh, but his attempt came out as chocked raspy coughing.

Shame spread across the gathered army. Elmar turned towards the Troll. He saw how she had bags below her eyes and how her hair was oily. She must not have slept all that well these past days, he thought.

“Lady Gor…” The Troll threw one of her shoes at Elmar, which passed through the barrier without trouble, and it sailed over the boy’s head and hit an ant.

“I am not a lady, boy! Gor is a Troll and proud! And do you know what else I am proud of? Being honest!” Elmar remained silent, letting the Troll speak. People invaded her home all the time, and now her life was threatened. She was entitled to the final say.

“That dungeon core, Theanore, preaches to be good but steals a crown and then sends armies around like it is no problem! The hypocrite! The nerve! I am a murder dungeon that has never presented myself as anything but! A hundred years I have been on this land, the poorly named Badlands, and I have defended my home. Did the foolish perish here, trying to get at my treasures? Sure, they do! But that is the only payment I have reserved for the greedy!”

“The Troll speaks true,” said a tall silver-blonde man that wore a cloak. He pointed at the dungeon, which was only kept upright by the barrier, and sighed. “The Bone Crusher dungeon sometimes leaves survivors. Esmer von Kleindorf does not, and yet, could any of you think of attacking the mother of your dungeon core?”

Ants began shaking their heads. They may be mobs, but they were Theanore’s mobs. They knew the value in giving second chances.

“Get off my lawn!” Screamed Gor and she threw another shoe towards Elmar. This time, Elmar caught it and examined it. It was made from gold and had precious gems engraved in it. He could see why Gor was attacked if she had such items.

“Come now, everyone. We can protect what we conquered,” said the same man as before. He turned around and three ogres and one golden bird followed him. Ants began marching behind them. Ashamed that they had shown their dungeon core in such a poor light.

Elmar was going to write a strongly worded letter to the little nymph. But first, they all needed to make amends.

“Where are you all going? Repair the Troll’s dungeon and expand it!” Commanded Elmar. Some five hundred ants stayed behind and began doing so. These same ants returned to the grotto afterwards and began preaching the way of peace and understanding to the newer generations of worker ants.