“Badger, honey, it’s time to wake up. Please open your eyes for me?”

  My eyes fluttered open, and I was awake in just a few seconds. Tabitha sat on the edge of my bed, running her hands through my hair, and smiling sweetly down at me. She wasn’t in her full armor, which had been polished and mended for the upcoming war, but she wore enough that it would be easy to don the rest. In my sleepy state, I returned the expression before I heard a giggle from nearby.

  Needless to say, I was no longer smiling after that.

  “So that’s all you need to do to wake him up, it’s so simple!” Ferrisdae exclaimed, covering her mouth with her robe’s sleeve as she tried not to giggle louder. A snorting laugh broke through, breaking the dam. “Of course, it all makes sense! To wake a Badger, you need his wife. Once everything goes back to normal, do you do house calls? Could I have Sophia teleport you in specifically to wake him up?”

  “Enough,” I demanded in a firm tone, covering my eyes with my sleeve.

  “The girls can also wake him, as you could probably guess, but there’s nothing that gets him out of bed faster than me,” Tabs bragged, rubbing my head before standing up. “Come on, leader. It’s almost time to be at the docks. Cojisto and Moose are already there, and we’ve already gotten changed while you were asleep.”

  “You really do sleep like a content cave kellas with no troubles in the world,” Dalsarel added, sounding amused though she had the good sense to try and hide it. She, too, was already suited up in her dark armor, which was perfect for the caves she had grown up in. “I’ve noticed it when we were out on work before, but never thought it was wise to say out loud. Unlike twigs for brains, here.”

  “Sure, because you learn such better manners when you live where it’s constantly damp and covered in mushrooms,” Ferrisdae shot back, her good mood unimpeded by the slight.

  “Alright, I think that’s enough,” Tabitha chuckled as she stretched and gestured the Elves towards the door. “You two go join the boys. We’ll catch up as soon as he’s up, dressed, and done dealing with whatever’s causing that new Sending Stone of his to buzz.”

  “Don’t take too long; they probably won’t let us board without you,” the sorceress said as she left the barracks.

  “Not that we’d try unless Ferry’s being impatient,” Dalsarel said, following her out.

  “We’d really have to worry about Cojisto for that…”

  Once the door was closed, I arched an eyebrow at my wife as I threw my covers off. “Really?”

  “It was good for them,” she claimed with confidence. “Teasing you was my way of lifting their spirits. Both of them are pretty nervous. Even the boys are, not that either of them would admit it. Well, maybe Moose would. He seems wise enough to say so if asked. Now they’re going to go find them, tell the story, and forget their troubles for a moment longer.”

  Any lingering feelings of dismay at how I had been treated were overturned at the statement. “If it’s to raise morale, I suppose it’s not a problem this time,” I grumbled. Tabitha giggled, and I smiled at her while I sat up. “How fast do I need to get ready?”

  “You don’t have to rush. We are amongst the first to board, but we’ve got another half an hour or so before we gotta run,” she answered as she sat down on the next bed over. That had been hers, not that she had used it at all. One good thing about Human-sized cots was that there was plenty of room for us smaller folk.

  “Should be more than enough time, then,” I agreed as I reached down into the box I had received from Justisius.

  I had explained to everyone what it had contained and passed out the Teleportation Drafts with strict instructions on when to drink them. Their safety was of the utmost importance, but no one wanted to be the first team to have to use such an expensive consumable.

  The map would remain in my possession because of my Minimap ability the Dungeon Master had bestowed upon me as a Dungeon Inspector. It allowed me to zoom in and out of certain sections and see things that no one else could, such as where people were located. This ability wouldn’t work until we arrived, but I anticipated it would come in handy more often than not.

  At the bottom was the black Sending Stone. Tabitha must have heard it vibrate since it didn’t look like she pulled it out to see if someone had been calling. I ran my finger across the smooth surface in the same pattern Justisius had given me, and letters started to appear on the rock. These were three messages that I received while sleeping.

  The first one was a reminder to be on the ship by 0900 hours. That was simple enough.

  Next was the confirmation that Moose and Cojisto had officially joined the team. There hadn’t been any doubt in my mind that they would be allowed to do so once the brand had been checked out and dealt with. It had only been a hunch that there was magical tomfoolery involved, but I was glad I checked it out.

  I scowled at the last one message, which caused Tabitha to lean forward to try and get a better look. “Is something the matter?”

  “The requested transfer of Ferrisdae Anne Runelara to the Runelara Special Forces Team has been denied,” I read aloud with a sigh.

  “Is that something to scowl about?” she asked, moving to sit next to me where she could read it. “It’s been denied. That means we get to keep Ferry.”

  “Yes, and if I’ve read her mother right, then she’s probably going to keep meddling,” I replied. My hand buzzed as I received another message. I snorted as I read this one aloud, too. “The emergency appeal regarding the previously requested transfer of Ferrisdae Anne Runelara to the Runelara Special Forces Team has been denied, and this matter is now closed.”

  “Oh,” Tabitha said, putting her hand on my shoulder as she leaned against me. “Durendrelle, right?”

  “That’s right. She waited to ambush me after you and the girls left for the barracks. Said she was giving me the courtesy of telling me outright that she was going to grab Ferrisdae for her team and replace her with a member of their branch family.”

  My wife rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Courtesy, sure. That’s what that was.”

  I snorted at her tone as I gently pulled away and stood up. It was time to start getting dressed. “I told her it wasn’t going to happen, but I’m not surprised she went ahead and tried anyway. That was the kind of impression I got the first time I met her. Like she’d run down anything that got in her way, especially when it came to her family whether they wanted it or not.”

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  My wife nodded. “Right. She’s going full mama bear. You remember that letter you passed off before going to the meeting?”

  “Of course.”

  “Summons to come have dinner and discuss switching from us to them,” Tabitha said with a barked laugh. “She shredded it after reading it twice, then sent a message with Daniel that she was staying with us no matter what her mother wanted.”

  “That’s our girl,” I chuckled as I switched to a magical undershirt that provided some protection from conventional weapons.

  “Yes, she is,” she agreed with a grin.

  “With any luck, this should be the last we hear of it unless Ferrisdae brings it up,” I told her as I changed my pants and put on my shoes. “Their group isn’t in First Cell, so they’ll be on a completely different ship. On the other side of the continent, too, if we’re blessed enough for it.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t become a problem, then.”

  “You better believe I’ll be praying to Cheroske for it later. Couldn’t hurt.”

  I shrugged on my jacket and started loading everything I needed into my Dimensional Pocket, though I kept the necessities out such as my Hilt of Holding. The clothes I wore as a Dungeon Inspector had been enchanted far more than the usual piece of armor and afforded me similar protection. They were also comfortable and well-worn. I had been through a lot with this outfit.

  Once I was ready to go, we left the barracks and started heading towards the port. The streets were crowded as everyone milled around, waiting for their turn to start boarding. An impatient energy hung thick in the air, aimless with nowhere to direct it.

  At least, until my wife made her presence known.

  “Move!” Tabs bellowed, raising Britear up high. Her voice carried through the crowd well, and the magical axe lit up in green flames. Even seasoned soldiers instinctively moved out of the way of the display. She grabbed my hand and started pulling me forward, running through the divide while it still lasted.

  “I thought you said we had time,” I said, allowing myself to be dragged. “We could have made it through without this.”

  “Yes, but then it’ll take longer,” she replied as if that was completely unacceptable. Britear’s flames disappeared now that they were no longer needed.

  A few more yells like that got us through to the port proper. Several warships were docked with more waiting out at sea. Long rowboats were already taking people to those ones, while we were ushered towards one in particular.

  The Fanaberra was a large, wood and steel frigate with three sets of sails and several ports for mages to use in combat. Having already been briefed on the vessel, I knew that it had a mana-fed engine on board, but that it was constantly hungry for more. The sails did well enough to get from one place to another with magic getting involved only when they had to hustle or during combat. We weren’t expecting to see that side of things.

  We met up with the other members of our party to find that they had been let on before I arrived, if only to try and get Moose onto the ship and where he needed to be. There were other animals on board, but everyone was adamant that he wasn’t going to join them. Especially Cojisto.

  Our original room was supposed to be below deck, but a quick call to Justisius, who was already speaking with the captain, got us situated in an officer’s cabin. It took us some time to get comfortable, but there was just enough room for Moose to lay down while the rest of us could sit in chairs. Based on the way he swayed with the boat, this was the safest option.

  “This… isn’t as glamorous as I had hoped,” Ferrisdae admitted. She was sitting close to Moose with her feet up on his back because there was so little room, which he didn’t seem to mind.

  “It’s not so bad,” Cojisto claimed, waving his hand. He had forgone a chair altogether so he could sit on the floor with his legs crossed. “Stables. Those are terrible. Had to sleep in a few with Moose here, and they never really provide the room for his antlers, you know?”

  “That’s because they’re not made for someone like Moose, Cojisto,” I said.

  “Yeah, but I’m just saying. This is pretty nice compared to those,” he replied.

  “You have to remember that the sapling princess here isn’t used to being in cramped areas,” Dalsarel stated with a smirk. “No sunlight, no air. She’s going to wilt.”

  “Makes sense that you’re right at home, then,” Ferrisdae returned with a roll of her eyes.

  “On the sea? What, can’t see the difference between water and caves because all you’ve known is trees?”

  “Ladies,” I warned, looking them both over before they could keep going.

  “They’re just having some fun, Badger,” Tabitha said, nudging me with her elbow. “We’ve got a whole trip ahead of us, and this isn’t exactly going to be cozy. Maybe we’ll hear some colorful new insults if we let them go long enough.”

  I grunted at that, but turned my attention towards the door. The sound of yelling was faint, but it seemed as though they were starting to let everyone else in. Everyone from First Cell must have already arrived and been sequestered already. All in the name of not having enough information to give away.

  Not that we’d already spent a night in Port St. Grandus and seen quite a bit already. Sometimes bureaucracy was inefficient like that.

  “I just don’t think it’s fair that we’re going to be stuck in this little room for, what? Three weeks? Minimum?” Ferrisdae asked. “That just seems really silly. I’m worried about Cojisto going crazy from being cooped up.”

  “Nah, I’m going to be okay,” he said confidently. “I’ve got all my friends here. Why would I possibly need to worry?”

  “You’re right, Cojisto,” the Forest Elf replied with a nod. “Badger’s going to go crazy from being cooped up with all of us.”

  “Except Tabs,” Dalsarel added.

  “That’s a given, I think.”

  “Still worth mentioning.”

  “Are you going to be okay?” my wife asked, and I rolled my eyes.

  “If this actually was a three week journey, then all of you—except Tabitha—would certainly drive me crazy,” I confirmed. There was no way I could feasibly deny that. “But your fears are unfounded.”

  Everyone else in the cabin gave me a strange look. Moose was the first one to say something with a questioning croak.

  “Huh?” Cojisto elegantly translated.

  “There’s a secret that us First Cell leaders have been privy to since the meeting yesterday,” I said as I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “You’d think they’d get someone like Teladora to sit still in a room for three weeks twiddling her thumbs? Or everyone that’s like Cojisto here?”

  “I already said I would be fine in the cabin,” he protested, patting Moose’s side as if that was all he needed to be comfortable.

  “Right, and I’ll believe it when I see it,” I snorted. “But not now. This trip isn’t going to last anywhere close to that long.”

  “Stop beating around the bush and tell us, then,” Tabitha huffed. “Don’t withhold information now.”

  “I’m getting there,” I said, causing her to stick her tongue out at me childishly. I rolled my eyes before clearing my throat. “For some reason, it surprised everyone else in the Department of Dungeons—”

  “First time I’m hearing of it,” Ferrisdae interrupted, and Dalsarel nodded.

  “Surprised everyone else,” I repeated, frowning as I continued. “But Director Ortaephaen made a deal with the Dungeon Master. The old bastard was already incredibly powerful, but now he has something extra… tacked on.”

  “What’s this something extra, then?” Tabitha asked, leaning forward.

  “A few things, but I’m only privy to one. Long-range portals, like what Abara could do,” I answered. “This journey isn’t going to take us three weeks. Once we’re loaded, we’re going to sail for about a half hour, and then skipping the rest of the journey.” With a smile, I looked at everyone. “We’re going to dock on an island just north of the continent that has been constantly Scried and monitored, and then get sent straight to work. They’re not expecting us so soon, and this is how we’re going to grab the element of surprise.”