The steady din of construction fills the ruins of the old military encampment. The soil here is still a mess, with clumps of grass and bits of wood and canvas squished into the earth. New fortifications are being erected, but they are far less extensive than the ones from before. A single building is partway through being erected a fair distance from the dungeon's door. The first ever guild hall.

  Only problem is, the name of the guild has yet to be decided.

  Originally, it was going to be a part of the government, an agency. For better or worse, that has changed since Prince Theobald decided he didn't want any part in the whole thing. Now this is a guild dedicated to managing who goes into the dungeon.

  "Miss Hawthorne, the people you requested are here."

  "Thank you, I'll see to them."

  The guard bows his head politely before walking off to resume keeping watch of the area. Anyone who isn't a part of this operation is being turned away while being advised to visit when the guild hall is finished being constructed.

  My associates are gathered around an unlit fire pit near the dungeon's door. They're engaged in a conversation regarding the dungeon itself when I arrive. The one currently speaking is Carter, his steel plate armor covering almost all parts of his body. His helmet is off at the moment, revealing his rugged features.

  "I'm telling you, I heard this thing is a portal to hell!"

  "Carter, I don't think Rebecca would send us into hell?"

  The one to reply to Carter is Petra, a mousey girl with a short stature and a pair of big round glasses balanced on her nose. She's dressed in the more traditional garb of a commoner. At her side is a large satchel, within I imagine a plethora of writing materials and books.

  Carter replies to her with a snarky sarcastic tone, speaking ill of me whilst I'm unfortunately standing a few paces behind the man.

  "Seriously? You don't think that greedy bitch will literally damn us if it means she gets a quick buck? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

  "Because I'm right behind you, Carter."

  Carter jumps in surprise. He whirls around to face me with an aghast look on his features. For such a big man he has always been easy to surprise.

  "S-Sorry, haha, I was just talking about uh, Chandra..."

  The sound of knuckles cracking drains the color from Carter's face. Across the fire pit is another formidable melee fighter, Chandra. The differences between Carter and Chandra are numerous. For one, she is a woman. She's also a former nun and lacks any hair, preferring to keep her scalp shaved close. She's giving Carter a condescending smile.

  "You wanna try that again, Carter?"

  "Look! I was just joking, okay?"

  The fourth member of the party chooses that statement to interject on, leaning forward to make himself known. Lyric is a wiry man with long luscious black hair and two bright green eyes. His bow is slung over his shoulder, alongside a quiver of arrows.

  "As much as I'd love to keep making fun of Carter, can we get on with it? I came here because you mentioned gold, Rebecca."

  "There will be plenty of gold to be had, Lyric."

  Lyric huffs, leaning back as I take my own seat in this circle of old friends. I open my journal and flip to the appropriate page. Notes on the dungeon and on what I want to say to them in hand, I can begin the negotiation.

  Clearing my throat, I begin describing the dungeon as a whole. I start by explaining the strange nature of its appearance, and how it's changed when not being directly observed. I cover everything from the lantern stones to the stampede incident. Finally, as I'm pausing to collect my thoughts, Petra raises her hand.

  "Yes, Petra?"

  "Why not come up with a term for the incident? It could happen again, and it would make it easier to refer to such an event rather than calling it the incident, or a stampede, since it's more complicated than that."

  "I suppose you have a point. What do you propose we call it, then?"

  "How about a dungeon overflow?"

  Carter makes a sour face, as if he finds the name offensive somehow. He shakes his head, interrupting our exchange to offer his own opinion.

  "That sounds a bit too bookish, I think."

  Sighing, I regard Carter "Then what do you propose we call it, Carter?"

  "Obviously it should be called a dungeon break. You said the whole thing changed and everything got all busted up when it happened, and those monsters broke out of the dungeon. It's totally more fitting than dungeon overflow!"

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Petra makes a face that reflects her distaste for Carter's suggestion. The others are all mostly neutral on the issue, and I find both options compelling. Dungeon overflow sounds more scientific--Dungeon break sounds simplified.

  "We can use both based on preference. Scholars will likely prefer your version, Petra, but the average person will want something easy and straightforward like Carter's."

  "Fine... I suppose dungeon break has merit, considering it is somewhat self explanatory."

  That gets a few chuckles of amusement from the group. Even Lyric has relaxed somewhat after getting to hear all about the dungeon. I can tell none of them fully believe me yet, but they're willing to swallow that disbelief for the sake of our mutual trust and the sight of a strange stone door out here in the forest.

  "Now there's only one order of business left to discuss before you can all prepare for your first expedition. The name of this organization. What should it be?"

  "Why are you asking us?" Chandra questions.

  "Because you four will be the first officially licensed members of this guild. Others will come after you, but no one else will be the first. So, what will you call yourselves?"

  The four of them exchange looks. It's as if they're having some kind of unspoken argument as they squint at each other from across the unlit fire pit. I swear I can see Chandra and Lyric make some kind of truce, while amusingly Carter and Petra want the same name.

  I'm about to speak up and interrupt their weird little staring contest when they all speak at the same time. Their voices are two pairs in unison, completely at odds.

  "Dungeoneers!" Lyric and Chandra say, likely a play on pioneers and dungeons.

  "Adventurers!" Carter and Petra shout, a more esoteric choice.

  "What? Why would we be called adventurers? We're going into a dungeon!" Chandra argues.

  "Because, Chandra, there's more than dank corridors and prison cells in the dungeon. It's a whole other world in there! Green Valley doesn't sound very dungeon flavored to me. So we're not dungeoneering, we're adventuring."

  Chandra blinks slowly at Petra's well articulated argument. She slowly nods her head, convinced of the merits of being called an adventurer rather than a dungeoneer.

  "Well, if you're all in agreement, welcome to the Adventurer's Guild!"

  ~

  If it wasn't for this lantern stone, the lamp oil burning low would be a concern. Hours have passed since my little chat with Miss Hawthorne, and now I'm finally finished with today's work. Rising from my seat, I walk out of the office, carrying the lantern stone with me. It wouldn't leave something so valuable lying around.

  "Your Highness! You're finished with today's work?"

  "That is why I'm leaving the study, yes."

  The frantic guard looks a bit unsure of what to do with himself as he follows me. His attitude and the crossed sword and quill on his tunic make it clear he's one of Daywark's soldiers--not mine. I suppose the distinction is meaningless since I've assumed control of the city.

  "I'd like to speak with Captain Dirk. He's the one in charge of you all, right?"

  "Yes! I'll bring you to him right away, Your Highness!"

  "You do that."

  I follow the over eager boy as he guides me down a path I already know to the estate's entrance. We make our way to the barracks, wherein the soldiers give me mixed reactions. Some of them appear to hate me. Others look ready to lick the dirt off my boots.

  "Where is Captain Dirk? I must discuss matters of the dungeon with him."

  Some of the soldiers look uncertain, but a pair of them glance at each other worriedly. The two men look like they've seen a ghost. That can't be good. Two guards acting like they know something while no one is speaking up, and Captain Dirk is nowhere to be found?

  "You two. What do you know?"

  The two men who are clearly hiding something cower at my acknowledgment.

  "W-We thought he was following orders, Your Highness!"

  "What are you saying? How do you mean?"

  I march over to the soldier before grabbing him by the collar. My eyes bore into him, the exhaustion of dealing with an unfamiliar workload fraying my patience far too thin. The guard standing beside the one I've got ahold of steps in to talk for his trembling friend.

  "Captain Dirk and a few others went to the dungeon, in the dead of night!"

  "What? By whose authority? I forbade anyone from entering the dungeon until giving Miss Hawthorne authority on this very day!"

  "H-He said he was doing a secret mission at your command, Y-Your Highness."

  Damn it all. I knew things were bad here, but not this bad. I've got a traitor captain on my hands along with three accomplices. Today is just not my day. I release the guard I was holding before speaking to the one who's less afraid, the edge in my voice softer.

  "You two will be exempt from any punishment."

  They both sigh in relief, but I'm only doing this to boost morale. I can't have more traitors or deserters cropping up in my forces.

  "Now, when exactly did Captain Dirk leave?"

  "He entered the dungeon a few hours before dawn just last night, Your Highness."

  "And do you have any idea what he was doing?"

  The two soldiers both shake their heads slowly. I can tell they're worried I'll be furious at the lack of helpful information, but they've done enough by conveying this information to me.

  "A-All I saw was that they had a lot of supplies..."

  Now that is interesting. An extended stay in the dungeon, perhaps? Doing something as foolish as that is bound to get them killed. Every time someone ventures deeper into that place they come back maimed or missing part of their group.

  "Good to know. You two get some rest, I'll have to double the amount of guards posted around the dungeon. If anyone sees Captain Dirk or his accomplices, you are to detain them and then come report directly to me."

  The men in the barracks all look a little lost. Their former commander has betrayed their current commander, making the situation far from simple.

  "Do I make myself clear, men?"

  Straightening up, the soldiers bow their heads respectfully. Their assent is given in unison, forming a proper chorus of voices.

  "Yes, Your Highness!"

  Satisfied, I turn to leave the barracks. I'm not too worried about this betrayal, all things considered. It's unlikely four people are going to last long in the dungeon. For all I know they might be dead by now. That sure would be convenient.