Steve called a conference of his team leaders, both veteran and newly appointed.

“Firstly, Mother is very pleased with our progress and sends her congratulations on a job well done, she is proud of you all, please pass that message on to your people.”

Then he sighed, “Mother believes there must be more to the pirate leaders plans than we’ve seen so far, she pointed out that they can’t be stupid, yet this plan is simply the same as the one that failed but with about three times more men and ships. And they had ample time to interrogate the survivors.”

The man-rats around the table looked at each other with growing consternation.

“When you put it like that, yes it doesn’t make sense does it? Have we missed someone?” put in Daniel.

“Huh, wonder if Ocidon asking us to share with his temple could be taken as a hint?” asked one of the others.

Steve made as if to reply then froze with his mouth open, “Yes! What if they’re putting together a force to strike at the temple here so that they can use the inter temple gates to strike at the temple forces back at home directly?”

“But there’s no temple gate back at home and even if there was they’d find themselves in the middle of the lagoon. That’s even stupider than the original plan.”

“But they don’t know that, after all everyman knows that all temples are linked and I’ll lay odds that they think the gate’s in the fort. After all the temple’s ships don’t ply the route,” explained Steve.

A short silence ensued and slowly, first one then all were nodding in agreement.

“Right, we’ll keep on with what we’re doing but remain alert for anyone building up or importing a force from their estates. We’ll ask the Meerkat folk if they’ll be willing to do some scouting outside town,” directed Steve.

Lucretia stirred, “we’ll need soldiers if we’re to help defend the temple, why don’t we ask Mother to send her voice with a suitable escort to visit Viscount Travanne, he’s not the idiot he pretends and we could probably work with him. We will need a suitable leader for this place after all.”

* * *

Tarandella looked round the small settlement with amusement, she didn’t think her uncle would dream of looking for her in such a small place, she set out to look for a place to stay. Unsurprisingly there were no properties for rent but the Spirit Dolphin Inn was surprisingly comfortable and very affordable, they could even store her luggage.

Next day she wandered round the tiny town or was it a large village. The wide eyed look of horror on the little girl’s face along with a shocked “You can’t SWIM!” was an eye opener, she hadn’t really noticed until then just how many of the locals swam, they even disdained boats and swam out to the Temple that seemed to float in the lagoon. And everyone seemed to move so fast in the water.

On her third day she met Tomcat’s other woman. By all accounts another inadvertent pregnancy because everyone knew beastfolk could’t get humans pregnant or vice versa. Marinara was a pleasant enough sort and they got on well after they got past the mutual commiserations. After a shared lunch Mari as she preferred to be called asked one of the loitering kids if one of them could fetch Drina.

Drina it turned out was a delightfully energetic little half-sea elf with masses of sea-green hair and a huge cat accompanied her. As soon as she arrived she told the loitering children that Mother had created a new hidden annex in the story dungeon. This led to an immediate excited exodus.

“So Drina will Mother speak with the mothers of her grandchildren?”

Drina giggled, “she sends her greetings and welcomes you both to her domain, she doesn’t wish to intrude uninvited but if you so desire she will include you among the denizens of Silverton and Blue Lagoon.”

“But of course I want it for me and my little ones,” said Mari.

« Done, welcome to my realm Mari. »

Tarandella swallowed nervously, “um, I’ll have to think about it.”

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Nine people on tired dusty horses rode into Arsouk two hours after noon. One was obviously a prisoner as he was bound and wearing a mage mask and gag. The six ladies looked like typical adventurers, some of the onlookers recognised them as the Roving Valkyries. The other man looked like some kind of very minor noble, probably a knight by his equipment, the boy looked totally nondescript.

They pulled up outside the Adventurer’s Guild and the woman who appeared to be their leader and the knight entered the building while the rest of the party waited with their horses.

Guildmaster Burritis attended them in person, “welcome to Arsouk, I had word you were coming from guildmaster Isbetta, I can offer you a guide that knows the Last Stand dungeon very well indeed.”

“That would be wonderful, when can we meet him and how far is the dungeon?” asked Palca the Widowmaker.

“It’s a two day ride, slightly less with good horses, but you will need water as there is none on the trail,” replied Burritis.

Palca glanced at Sir Cram’ton and he nodded, “agreed, no point wasting time.”

They returned to their horses and headed out of town slowly until Guzz caught up with them at which point they resumed their fast pace.

It was close to nightfall when they arrived at the dungeon’s entrance, a sizeable cavern containing a well, and about two hundred meters away a rather desiccated hostel. Guzz entered the hostel to greet his friend who ran it and to arrange accommodations for the party.

Abriman looked at his companions, squared his shoulders and entered the dungeon. He stopped in the second chamber and called out. “Sandrinna, I have come in fulfilment of a vow, I fetch Rovoc the so called witch hunter for your justice.”

« Abriman? »

“Yes Sandrinna this body is that of Abriman, I was Zarnjdfjgmn but I have truly become Abriman and a Paladin of Hel-Arlizzy.”

There was a startled silence. « You can hear me? »

“I am a Paladin of Hel-Arlizzy, naturally I can hear dungeons.”

« I don’t want that creature in my dungeon, can you share what you saw and know with Erekosë my Boss monster and Ermizhad. If so I will leave my vengeance in their hands. »

Erekosë and Ermizhad were not amused, Rovoc lasted three days before dying. Sir Cram’ton collected his head and declared that the Count’s executioner couldn’t have done a better job. The visitors set out for Copper Town and home while Guzz got raring drunk, spent a day recovering then headed for Arsouk wishing he had that kid who could magic water out of thin air along.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Mary watched for a few more seconds as her wolf-boys and -girls ploughed into the crowd pushing it back violently the front line stepping over the fallen while the second line made sure the fallen were unconscious by clubbing the ones that moved and in some cases the ones that didn’t.

She stepped back to Trev’s car, opened the door, “Hey Trev, I’m off to the next road, I plan to ask Liz if I can hop over her back fence and go home through the back, don’t think I should be found here, there’s too much publicity already.”

Trev just nodded, watching entranced as a hoodlum he recognised as a professional agitator screamed something about police brutality as he hurled a Molotov cocktail at the thin line of police officers lining Ms Rowley’s property’s boundary. ‘Dumb, really dumb, that’s really not going to make those officers keen to help.’

Five members of the front line reacted at once, they formed a wedge as five members of the rear rank smoothly took their place and tore through the crowd reaching the professional agitators before they could scatter and lose themselves in the crowd.

« Great work! Take them down hard then continue with the plan. »

Tails wagging with pleasure they did so to the sound of breaking bones, then held their ground until the line of their brothers absorbed them once again.

The two police officers not occupied with smothering the flames that had enveloped one of their own watched with grim satisfaction.

* * *

At the CNN local office the technicians cursed as their feed went down, the reporter standing in front of the blue wall fell silent as the feed was lost just when those police dogs were heading for the poor protestor who had thrown a bottle at the police.

* * *

Mary strode round to Liz’s cut through her garden pausing only to skritch two of Liz’s cats before hopping over the fence into her back yard. She then cut right and crossed the Kato’s yard, they were on holiday after all and their dogs were currently residing in the local kennels. Then she crossed into the von Hindersin’s property, the house was for sale so she felt safe. Manna was still pouring down her link allowing her to claim the entirety of the property as her domain, she made sure not to make the claim permanent.

Next step was to dig out a series of comfortable caverns beneath the house to serve as a temporary barracks for her boys and girls and to open a well concealed secret door in the kitchen for access.

The front door opened silently when the wolf and Badger folk arrived running and they disappeared inside door closing behind scant seconds before two police officers dashed into the yard guns in hand. Mary made the bushes on the far side of the property rustle and shake as if someone had just forced their way through them into Ember road. The two officers took the bait as Mary headed home.

As she entered through the back she realised with some relief that mama wasn’t home. ‘Beep that poor cop, how can I, maybe that’d work... Hey me, you think this would work?’

‘Hi me, interestin’ idea, I like it, but I think you’ll need to add...’

Mary grabbed some burn ointment and bandages and headed out of her front door and made her way down to where the cop was kneeling next to his badly injured partner, ‘beep but the poor beep had taken a facefull of burning gasoline, it looked like he was blind!’

She dropped to her knee beside the injured man and passed the first aid supplies to his distraught partner, she carefully held the injured man’s hand and thanked him for his help.

‘So first, claim – officer Meier then inform his DNA that all isn’t right and it should use some of those fat reserves to fuel the healin’ and regeneration of face and eyes, ‘K now to pour in manna and start the process goin’ an’ no Bluey, Meier doesn’t wanna be a lizardman. Just ‘cause he’s gonna regenerate this time it doesn’t mean it’s gonna be a full time thing. ‘K Bluey that kinda makes sense so – NO! the poor bloke wouldn’t be able to keep his job as an Ogre, Half Giant you say, how would that affect his mental stats, it wouldn’t in this case? ‘K an’ I’m holdin’ you to that. Oops – almost forgot, release claim!’

She was still holding the man’s hand when the ambulances arrived. Meier was the first to be evacuated.

She gave an indifferent look at the street littered with the bruised and injured, nodded to the cop who’s partner had been hurt and headed back to the house. She stopped when she came to her jeep, scattered near it were a hammer, a couple of crowbars and a maul. She linked to her Jeep and grinned, ‘five more froggies, serve ‘em right for tryin’ to trash my beauty. Now where?’

As usual one empty cooler was sitting in the back, she prepared it then quickly collected four frogs, it took her some time to find the fifth, but find it she did. Then she headed for the fence that separated their property from Greg’s.

“Heya Greg, got more of those froggies for you.”

Greg stopped his horrified staring at the street at this welcome news and hurried over to look at his new prizes. “Yes they are, I wonder where they’re coming from, I hope some of those are females this time.”

“Well that’s seven frogs so far so I bet there’ll be at least two,” Mary said to Greg’s departing back.

Then she reentered her home and awaited official visitors.