Akenteri contemplated the skill crystal in his hand. He held it up and turned in the light of his desk light admiring the flickering reflections of its facets.

‘Damn it, I really wish this wasn’t necessary. I truly hate the headaches these things give. And this time it’s going to be worse, overwriting a previous skill crystal is always worse,’ he sighed softly. ‘But there’s no help for it, every time I open my mouth I stand out. And not always in a good way.’ Akenteri sighed again. He poured a glass of water. ‘Now this is another miracle, clean safe drinking water for all at the turn of a tap.’ Akenteri swallowed a couple of paracentamol tabs and drank his water.

Then he waited for several minutes turning his new skill crystal slowly under the light. With a grimace he slowly raised the crystal and touched it to his forehead. Then, after another brief delay he gathered his courage, and invoked it.

Akenteri grabbed his head with both hands and moaned in agony. The skill crystal dropped bouncing of his chest, then his lap before dropping to the floor.

Dafezed rushed from where he had been lurking near the door and stopped shocked art the look of agony on his master’s face. He bent down and picked up the crystal and slipped it into the pocket of his trousers.

“Master, why did you do this if you knew it would hurt you so.” Then raising his voice he added, “Liiranna come help me with our master.”

“Dafezed please stop calling me master,” Akenteri groaned, “Boss, Sir even friend but not master. Please.”

Liiranna, the groom that had held Akenteri’s horse and his most recent retainer came running into the room just in time to hear the tail end of Akenteri’s statement. “What’s happened to ma—the boss, um, Dafezed?”

Dafezed’s lips tightened briefly but he had to admit that Liiranna covered her slip well and he couldn’t offhand object to be called by name when the master refused to be called master.

“Help me carry our mas—the boss to bed. We can give him a sleeping potion and he should be much better tomorrow. The boss overrode a previous language skill crystal. That’s why he’s hurting like this.”

By the time Akenteri was deposited in comfortably in bed and had been persuaded, or possibly coerced into taking a sleeping potion he was surrounded by all his faithful retainers.

= = O = =

Eclavran was unhappy. He felt ridiculous in the overly elaborate robes he was wearing. He looked at Mirella the fiery, the representative of Marcenium’s principal Adventurer’s Guild. Mirella a stout middle-aged master mage was eyeing him with disfavor and seemed to believe whatever the King wanted of them was his fault. So he was not looking forward to meeting his King Elboran the Magnificent.

Then the door of their small waiting room opened and a bewigged court official banged his elaborately carved and gilded staff on the flagstones.

“Be welcome to the royal court most high officials of the exalted Adventurer’s Guild. His Majesty awaits.” Then with a brief nod the official strode with measured pace down the wide corridor.

Worryingly the throne room was almost empty. King Elboran was a nervous looking young man. His hand caressed the hilt of his heavy war dagger. Two armed and armored guards stood behind his throne. There others present looked to be the members of the king’s council. Eclavran and Mirella moved forward and bowed deeply when they reached the correct distance from the throne.

The minor official who had led them to the throne room stepped up and slammed his staff on the floor three times. “Attention for his most magnificent Majesty Elboran third of that name.”

“While we are pleased that there is a new world gate in our realm it is unacceptable that it should exist in a dungeon even so ancient and venerable one as Bluestone.

“Please arrange it so that people who wish to use this world gate no longer need to enter the dungeon.”

There was a short silence followed by the official slamming his staff on the floor another three times. “His majesty has spoken. You may leave.”

Eclavran started to back his way out of the presence of the King. He was joined by Mirella. Once they were back in the corridor and the doors to the throne room was once again closed, Mirella turned and strode down the corridor. Eclavran took one final looked at the closed doors guarded by two alert guards before turning and following her.

* * *

Later when they were ensconced in the office of the guildmaster of Kingstown’s Adventurer’s Guild they finally felt safe enough to speak of their audience. Vandarbatt the local guildmaster was equally dumfounded when they informed him of the king’s demand.

“So what are you two supposed to do? Luso might be considered a rogue but Bluestone isn’t and it is highly profitable. Unless something’s changed?”

Eclavran just shook his head. Mirella just looked unhappy. “Even if we wanted to, Bluestone would not be easy to defeat,” she said.

Eclavran snorted. “If we tried Luso would intervene to help his companion’s mother. And the godslayer elves would probably get involved too. They volunteered the fact that they’re allied with Bluestone.”

“Are you sure it would intervene?” asked Mirella.

“It has already done so to save his companion’s sister.” Explained Eclavran.

Mirella looked down at her hands then back at the two guilmasters. “Well Eclavran, we’re screwed, looks like this is our baby. We’d better write our reports and leave them with Vandarbatt to get them to the boss-man and I just hope he finds it in his draconic heart to help us.”

Eclavran nodded reluctantly. “Well we’d better return to Verilanium. Will you arrange for a gate Vandarbatt?”

“Under the circumstances, yes. My gate mages should have it ready for use in a couple of hours.”

= = O = =

Princess Deerassa removed her eye from the spy hole that allowed her to view her older brother’s throne room and looked at her twin brother with wide eyes. Prince Sarnollo returned her look with a hand clasped over his mouth.

They returned their attention to the spy holes they had been using and watched the two representatives of the adventurer’s guild back their way out of their brother’s presence before scampering off back to their playroom.

“Oh wow Dee, adventurers and dungeons. Cool!”

“Yeah! Oh Sar, do you think we could visit a dungeon?”

“Maybe. But if we managed to sneak in after them, bet they’d send us back.”

The princess frowned. “Maybe we could just pretend to be the negotiators.”

Prince Sarnollo puffed up his chest and grinned, then he deflated. “They’d never believe us, we’re too young. Darn it!”

“But they’re dungeons, would they know that? We are princes after all. Important people.” And the little princess tried to look down her nose haughtily but broke down in giggles. Her brother joined her.

“Bet you could fool old Gussy into casting a gate Dee. He is getting kind of forgetful and vague but he truly dotes on you.”

Princess Deerassa jumped in excitement, “Ooo lets Sar. We can get a picnic lunch from cookie. It’ll be easyer to convince Gussy if we have a picnic lunch ’specially if we ask for one for Gussy too.”