After Tessana had given her husband the news of Felicia’s offer Silverfin had convened an urgent meeting. Elorinal had congratulated Silverfin on his coup but begged of attending as he was currently busy preparing for a diplomatic visit from the Theocratic Empire of Tall Trees on Alcadar.

That bit of news dominated the first few minutes of the meeting before the assembled guild officials and guild and non guild local experts settled down to planning.

Colonel Edmund Blackstone enthusiastically endorsed Commissioner Botelho’s suggestion that an urban training area for the police and army could be incorporated in one of the more advanced dungeons and serve a double purpose.

During the lunch break Silverfin rang Felicia to ask if Helen Gabriel the technician responsible for their current public dungeon’s special effects could attend, and possibly the safety expert Mr Termador whose speciality might be useful for the first of their planned dungeons.

That evening the whole committee and their families celebrated in Antonio’s top floor restaurant and passed Felicia their plans for the first two dungeons.

Antonio grumbled a bit when Felicia confronted him with the plans but saw the advantages especially now that there were possible frictions with the guild in the days ahead.

“Felicia, do you think we can get that cliff top land connecting the area we have the portal terminus and the beach?”

“Yes, I think so but why?”

“We need somewhere to put these dungeons, and I’d rather own the land in question rather than just tunnel under it and rely on it being just my domain. Also give Silverfin four dungeons and can you invite Colonel Blackstone to see me sometime in the next week.”

Blackstone was sufficiently intrigued that he was sitting in Antonio’s office on the following morning.

“Nice to meet you Colonel, I believe there are many others like you in the guild, how would you like to get together with some like minded friends and plan a really up to date modern dungeon with all the latest tech?”

* * *

Darkfin knowing he would have no chance in Midgard brought his client’s case to the courts of Foraville in Badonia hoping for a favourable venue due to the Empire’s current troubles with Midgard.

Deep Diver informed everyone he was recording to general incomprehension, then he got down to defending the case. As he had foreseen he lost it but was able to record the blatant bias against Midgard shown by the court.

“Good try unc, but you’ll never win on Midgard.”

The next case the two clashed in was Deep Diver’s in the Commercial and Contracts Court on Oceanis. This time Deep Diver won hands down. The contract was legal, it was simple and easily understood and the local adventurer’s guild had broken it.

“Well Diver, you do realise this doesn’t solve anything either.”

“Oh but it does unc, the decision of this court is far more important than the last.”

“You do realise we’ll be at this for months if not years.”

Diver grinned showing sharklike teeth, “true, but your clients are going to lose patience first and we’ll make lots of money until they do and then they’re going to pay all our bills. Hope you’re stinging them.”

* * *

Ryan and his friends discovered that Luso hotel guests had a fifty percent discount on gate travel and they took the opportunity to visit the European capitals and the island territories of Portugal. Between sightseeing they trained at the guild.

On the penultimate day of their stay they were invited to try the new dungeon. On their first attempt they were mentored by Silverfin and Lilly. On their subsequent attempts they were only accompanied by Silverfin. They were ecstatic that they had succeeded on their third and fourth ventures.

They returned to the States with Manny and his family and though they were surprised not to see Manfred they accepted the explanation that he had already returned home. In fact Manfred was currently ensconced in his mother’s purse.

Once back in Massachusetts the friends split up heading for their own homes. Ryan was already trying to see if he could take weekend trips to Portugal.

Manny for his part drove his family up into New Hampshire where he closed the deal on the property overlooking Lake Sunapee that they had bought for Manfred. The first thing Manfred did was to claim the house and open a portal in the basement with the help of his grandfather so as to allow his new companion to join him.

Moonbright was ecstatic, the scenery and lake were beautiful and she had a dungeon partner that she liked and she would still be able to easily visit her mother and sister.

Manny had to return home because of work but Teresa his wife was able to wrangle a few days extra compassionate leave and stayed for another week with her daughter while Manfred slowly claimed his land and started to burrow under it forming the beginning of his dungeon.

When Manfred and Moonbright felt comfortable and secure Manny and Teresa contacted the authorities to update their son’s status as per the new rules that had been, not exactly rushed through Congress and Senate in the face of the mass changes to the population due to the System.

* * *

Back in Portugal Silverfin reconvened part of planning committee to go over the results of the dungeon’s test.

“While Ryan’s Crew had to struggle to complete the dungeon I felt that it was not challenging enough, so I had a few monsters added. Then my son persuaded us to allow him and his tiny terrorists try it. As you can guess they were shadowed by an anxious father and worried mothers. His planning and his girlfriend’s shotgun allowed them to clear the dry part of the dungeon in record time. By the way paintball guns firing frozen pellets are very nasty, nothing like that shotgun but nasty. As sea elves and completely fresh the tiny terrors were able to defeat the underwater dungeon too. The local spear guns were also rather effective.”

“So what are you saying, and what do you want to do about it?” asked Lilly.

“I’m saying we have to reconsider how to classify dungeons in the face of this world’s weaponry, and in this case how to minimise the advantages ranged weaponry can give an adventurer or they won’t be much good for training.”

* * *

Major Alexander Manukov breathed a sigh of relief as he finally led his people away from the capital of the Tall Trees Empire, at his side his wife rode with Nadia in tow. They both eyed Nadia with some apprehension for the girl had been sorely tried this past week. The system had turned her into a prime matrimonial prospect and as looong betrothals were common amongst the elves of Tall trees her youth had not been a barrier for hopeful parents.

Also, as the girl’s official guardians “the Duke and Duchess” Manukov had been offered the guardianship of more than one orphan in the transparent hopes that proximity would foster friendship with the girl.

Alexander had had to agree to stop again on his return and escort an embassy from the Empire of Tall Trees with him for the return to Russia.