Early on Sunday Manfred was startled when a group of heavily armed men in two cars intruded onto his domain. When he concentrated on them he heard them confirming their plans. He immediately hit his alarm to the army base.

« Grandfather HELP! They’re coming to kill me. »

« Moonbright hide, run to your sister if needed, we’re under attack. Alice, Ian, Gordon, Nancy, a bunch of heavily armed lunatics are coming for us. Run, hide use the gate to gramps dungeon if need be. »

« Paradise motel staff evacuate and take any guests with you. Explain terrorists are coming to kill everyone. »

« Calma, calm down Manfred, just how many and how armed. Show me, use this link. »

« Help grandfather, here look. »

« Calma Manfred. I promise they won’t get you. Dead men don’t kill dungeons. My alert security team will be with you shortly. Use the dogs to delay them if necessary. It takes time to kill that many dogs. »

« But they’re my dogs, my friends. »

« Moonbeam reassure your sister that my security team is assembling now and will be with them shortly. Reassure her they are armed and ready to kill in our defence. See if she can persuade Manfred to loose the dogs to buy us a couple of minutes. »

« Victor, get the alert team moving, alert the down team and wake the reserves. Your G3s are ready and waiting by the gate along with assorted grenades, there are also four RPG-7s if you want them. You will defend my grandson from a bunch of well armed idiots. They have assorted firearms and two man portable rocket launchers. When I have more information I’ll let you know. »

« Manfred, you can recreate the dogs. They are dungeon monsters and while it is preferable for them to kill intruders and survive, if they die so be it. You have given your named monsters beast cores haven’t you? »

* * *

In the Paradise Motel the deep ones all glanced up monetarily and muttered “yes boss”. Two of the chambermaid went to roust out a few still slumbering guests while the waiter in the restaurant approached the only occupied table. The remaining staff opened the concealed door and trapdoors and began evacuating into the as yet unfinished catacombs.

Rudy Wagner was woken by somebody pounding at the door of his room. “Yes what is it?” he asked irritated while his wife Wanda groaned a complaint.

“Please we have to evacuate, we have just been warned that a group of heavily armed terrorists that plan to stage a massacre is almost here.”

Rudy looked at Wanda, “Nah!” they both exclaimed, Rudy got out of bed and went over to the window and looked out. He was just in time to see two cars break to a halt in the motel’s lot and disgorge nine heavily armed men. One spotted him in the window let off a three round burst. Rudy was cut by flying glass and spun round and collapsed to the floor bleeding from a nasty wound in his shoulder. Wanda screamed.

The deep one chambermaid opened the door, then darted across the room and picked up Rudy and headed out of the room. “Hurry madam.”

“Our children, I have to get them.”

“Two boys and a girl? They are already on their way to safety.”

“Yes but how? Are you sure?”

“Yes they’re at the end of the corridor already. Hurry.” The chambermaid’s slightly guttural voice floated back from the corridor just as a veritable fusillade of shooting arose outside the motel.

Wanda jerked, grabbed a robe and fled after the woman carrying her husband.

* * *

Moonbright immersed in her dungeon, she felt his reluctance to risk their monsters. The intruders turned into the motel’s parking lot so she opened the garden gate and ordered the dogs to attack.

Eddy stopped his car and opened the door. Frenchie jumped out and fired at the motel. Eddy assumed he’d seen one of the deep ones. Then to his horror he saw a veritable horde of dogs charging silently across the road. Then they were all firing but some of the dogs had managed to reach them.

Eddy wrapped a handkerchief around his left arm wincing at the pain.

* * *

Alice alerted her superiors and made her way to Manfred’s heart chamber checking her pistol and making sure the spare clips were easy to reach.

Ian, Gordon and Nancy ran from their control room leaving assorted dice, character sheets and Traveller rule books behind. They arrived at the portal to the Luso dungeon when sixteen men in ballistic armour and helmets equipped with transparent face shields came pouring through and headed towards the front of the house.

Victor led his people at a trot and they reached the front of the house as all the shooting died down. Victor sneered, “Antonio was right, idiots.”

Across the road eight men were clustered together treating the wounds of three of their number. Only one was crouched down keeping an ineffectual watch. There was room at the windows for eight of his men so while one squad prepared to exit the other opened fire.

Eddy screamed when Sarge’s head burst spraying him with blood and brains. They were shooting them from the house, but they hadn’t attacked it yet. Then he was on the ground with two 7.62 mm bullets in his stomach.

Frenchie threw himself to the ground and cowered.

Alice jerked, that sounded as if had come from inside the house. “Manfred have they got in? how many are there and where are they now?”

« No Alice, Gramps sent me his, what did he call it, ah yes, his alert security team. They consist of an officer, fourteen soldiers and two catgirl mages. They all have enchanted armour and assault rifles. They even have two of those Russian RPG-7s. »

Then there was another shot.

« They killed him! One of the wounded ones moved and reached towards a gun – they shot him dead and he didn’t even have a gun in his hand. »

“Calm down Manfred, what did you expect if he reached for a gun?”

« They could have told them to surrender. »

“Well yes, but you did say they’re soldiers, not cops. I’d better go and see if they can capture any of those lunatics.”

* * *

« Gramps, my dogs are dead, your security team has killed most of the attackers, and I think they’re planning to shoot the survivors. »

« Good. Never leave live enemies behind if you can avoid it. »

« No gramps, please stop them. Alice has contacted her superiors and they want prisoners to interrogate. »

« Very well. If you insist, but I advise against this. Next time they may be better prepared. »

« You won’t hold this against me will you gramps? »

Antonio laughed, « Heavens no boy, I’ll never hold the fact that you reject my advice against you. Your circumstances are not mine. Let me tell you one thing, family is very important, as are friends. I even tolerate Pedro. Then be true to your employees and honor the flag. Honor the flag, not the bureaucrats and politicians unless they earn your trust. »

* * *

When the army arrived Alice was waiting for them and Antonio’s security withdrew to their side of the portal but remained ready to redeploy. Rudy Wagner was installed in the Hotel Luso’s clinic and his family were settled in a small suite.