When I entered the house, the smell of something warm and savory drifted through the house. Blaze was baking something.

  “That smells good,” I called, spotting her at the kitchen table with her laptop open. She was probably buried in another report. “What is it?”

  “I saw biscuit mix in the cabinet. Raided your jerky and nut stash from the office and found some raisins that looked past their prime. I had some M&M’s in my travel bag. We made things like this in Girl Scouts for camping and hiking. They keep well and they’re filling.”

  “Trail mix plus bread. I never made it, but I ate stuff like it in Boy Scouts. Didn’t think kids did much scouting anymore.”

  “My parents got all of us into it. They’d done it too. Turns out it’s useful now and then. Right now, I’m writing up what we talked about and what we need to figure out. I’ll want you to go over it in a bit. I’m sure you’ll add things I missed.”

  We both laughed at the scout connection. No wonder she handled things the way she did.

  “I’m sure I will,” I said. “I need a few minutes at the computer, see which stores have what we need, then make a run. We don’t have time to wait on shipping.”

  “Got it. Ingrid and Bhaarrt are good. They’re working out food for him. Ogres like meat. Lots of meat. He’ll eat it raw if he has to. They’ve also got camping gear. And extras for Shadow.”

  “Shadow’s been thinking about dungeons. She said she’s got FIND TRAPS and LOCKPICKING both at level one. Lockout gave her a set of picks and a crash course. He’s got plenty of basic sets since he sometimes teaches lock picking.”

  “And she has some food ideas we can pick up later tonight or in the morning.”

  “Thank you. I was going to ask her to take them. Level one’s better than nothing,” I said, before heading to my office for some quick research.

  Half an hour later, I grabbed a stack of cloth shopping bags and called out, “Anything you want me to grab while I’m out?”

  “Not that I can think of. If I do, I’ll let you know…oh, wait. Yeah. Different sizes of plastic zip-lock bags, in case we need to bag something we don’t want to leave behind. I’m also stealing two rolls of toilet paper from that giant brick you’ve got in the garage.”

  “Good idea. But if it’s only two, take them from your bathroom. that pack’s nearly full” I told her.

  “Roger that,” she said, eyes already back on her work.

  I went shopping.

  By ten that night, everything was packed. I double-checked our gear, making sure I’d enchanted both sets to the max. I also made a dozen new rechargeable Mana Batteries, each one holding 25 points of MANA instead of the earlier 20. Even enchanting had its small upgrades.

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  We’d find out soon enough how fast we recharged inside the dungeon. This wasn’t going to be a speed run. We wanted information, not bragging rights. Still…I sure as hell hoped it was a dungeon after all this work.

  Blaze reported that a platoon under Lieutenant Marmari…the officer from yesterday…was in charge of the site. We’d have MREs for a week per person and military hydration packs, the kind they called camelbacks.

  It would be hilarious if all this prep ended in an hour-long stroll or worse, nothing at all. We preloaded the van with everything except the perishables. At the last minute, I tossed in the collapsible wagon I’d used for hauling gear at events. It could handle the slope if someone steadied the load.

  We were going heavy. Maybe too heavy. I just prayed it wasn’t too little.

  Ingrid and Bhaarrt were picking up Shadow, so that was covered. We wanted to be ready to roll by 6:30. This would be my first missed 7 a.m. spawn.

  I’d messaged Falstaff last night to warn him and to let me know of any changes. I’d teased him about “big news” later today. Hopefully, I could make good on that promise.

  At ten past six the next morning, we were packed and ready. Last night I’d tested one new gadget I’d picked up during the supply run: a laser distance measurer. Point it, push a button, and it gave you the range. Sure, it was cheaper online, but I couldn’t wait for delivery.

  I remembered those old days of mapping dungeons on graph paper while the DM droned out dimensions. Or being the DM myself, trying to trip up players with twisty hallways and misleading doors. Ah, those were the days. I had a clipboard, graph paper, and mechanical pencils ready. Old school backups for a new world.

  After reaching the site and hauling gear down the hill, I tested the rangefinder on the portal. Nothing. No return. Either the beam went somewhere it shouldn’t or it just didn’t exist. I half-expected that. The hillside reflected fine.

  Ingrid, Bhaarrt, and Shadow arrived right after that. Bhaarrt hauled their extra gear without breaking a sweat.

  Then we waited. The university team looked antsy, bouncing between curiosity and nerves. The army squad in front of the anomaly, held their rifles low, muzzles down but hands tight. They hadn’t seen the STORE appear. Neither had I.

  The army loaned us vests and packs if we wanted them for the haul. We had enough food for a week and water for three days if we rationed. Each of us had a full pack, and Bhaarrt carried a panier that looked like a wicker laundry basket strapped to his back. It dwarfed mine.

  Sheriff Harper loaned us two body cameras apiece and showed us how to use them. We planned to save battery and storage, only using them when we moved or did something worth recording. Not the best setup, but we’d make do. Someone else could refine the process later.

  The number of probable dungeon sites grew by the minute, one of the university staff told Blaze. There were 83 possible dungeons in the U.S. as of 6 a.m. and they expected that number to double after 7 am our time, then keep climbing for days.

  Where they could, the government was sealing sites until we reported back. They were waiting on us because we had the best chance of surviving. That was one hell of a thought.

  At seven sharp, the portal glowed blue, brighter than before, then widened as it sank partly into the ground. Three and a half minutes later, it settled into a stone-lined tunnel with a door at the back.

  [William of Brinsford:] [IRREGULARS] [We have a dungeon. Or at least the entrance to something.]

  My chat exploded with joy, congratulations, and one impatient demand: “Why the hell aren’t you inside already?”

  We waited while the researchers documented the site. The stone walls looked like clean-cut blocks. Light gray paving stones, each a meter square, lined the tunnel floor and extended a few meters out from the entrance.

  The rangefinder worked now. Five meters from the arch to the door. The arch rose three meters high. Geologists scraped samples while archaeologists sketched the design. They all wanted to go inside, but they’d need levels first, or trained dungeon adventurers, to get what they wanted.

  After almost an hour, they cleared out, waving at us as they made room.

  [William of Brinsford:] [PARTY] [OK. That’s the go signal. Everyone ready?]

  Four ‘Roger that’s’ came back to me in chat.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX7ehxyYRQc

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