Lewd Saga Omnibus: 7 Book Collection: An Epic Digital Fantasy Adventure of Lust, Love and War

by Eden Redd

  “There’s a staircase leading down,” Nikki said with a voice just loud enough for them to hear.

  “Everyone knows their roles. We keep it tight and don’t get separated,” Kia commanded as he stepped closer to Wynter.

  “Last chance if you want out. We won’t hold it against you,” Kai said with deep understanding.

  Wynter looked to the troll with a devilish smirk, “Worried I’ll take all the loot?”

  Kai smiled, “Now I am.”

  Nikki took a few more steps down into the darkness. Wynter raised a hand as she turned from her guild mate. A ball of blue flame appeared and floated down after Nikki. Several more balls of blue flame appeared, illuminating the area. Daven was next descending the entrance steps. The trolls followed. Wynter moved to the entrance and began taking one step after the other. Kai brought up the rear, glancing back before following down into the maw of the dark dungeon.

  Four

  “This is boring,” Daven lamented as he strolled on, shoulders relaxed. “Three levels and not a single monster, I thought for sure we’d be running into hordes of them by now.”

  The corridor glowed with blue light as the group walked. Nikki took lead while Daven and Wynter walked a few feet behind her. Captain Vell and his trolls were in the middle while Kai followed in the rear. Tension had bled away the longer they walked. Fifteen minutes into the raid and the party only encountered empty rooms and desolate hallways. Stairs leading down to the next levels were easy to come by. Wynter kept her spirits up as she felt deep down that this was simply the calm before the storm.

  “Eager to face death,” Captain Vell sneered at Daven.

  Daven turned his head and eyed the troll, “I seem better prepared to meet it head on then you. You guys are the NPC’s. I don’t understand why you’re in the middle? You should be protecting us.”

  “We are here to assist. If I was leading, you wouldn’t be here, Druid,” Vell snapped back.

  “Are you guys going to be like this all the way down?” Nikki asked, her words echoing off the cold stone.

  “Only if the Captain doesn’t earn his keep, I don’t mind risking my life for treasure but I’ll be damned if he walks out of here with anything we find.”

  Wynter ignored the back and forth as she walked. Eyes traced over stone walls, looking for any sign of the next stairway down. The air seemed musty as she drank in her surroundings. Mind wandering, small thoughts rose up, touching her mind. What was Leopold doing now? Was he off adventuring or simply tucked away in some inn or new home, loving his new partner or partners? Try as she might, she couldn’t push it away. The player felt the same as Daven. She thought they would be fighting hordes of monsters. It would have taken her mind off the pain. Dour sadness touched the edges of her eyes as she moved forward with each step, dark clouds filling her mind with painful flashes.

  A squeak woke Wynter from her trance. Peering down, a white rat prowled along the edge of the wall toward her. The necromancer kneeled down and put out an open hand. The rat moved in closer, sniffing at her fingers. Wynter adored rats. She had them for years but the heartbreak of their short lives was too much. She stopped keeping them but still yearned to buy one or two. With Leopold gone from her life, maybe it was time to have a new family for a while.

  The rat crawled partially onto her hand and looked up, twitching his whiskers.

  “Found a friend,” Daven said as he kneeled down next to the necromancer. “He’s a beauty.”

  “I used to have them as pets for years. As long as you’re not afraid of them, they’re not afraid of you,” Wynter smiled as the rat further crawled into her hand.

  Daven nodded, “I have all sorts of pets. Sometimes I feel they are better than people. They have uncomplicated lives. There’s a certain Zen to them.”

  Wynter turned her eyes to Daven as he reached out and stroked the rat behind the ear, “You will have to show me pictures.”

  “I sure will,” Daven smiled. “For now, I should talk with our friend. He may have an idea on what’s around here.”

  The druid made a small squeak. The rat leaped from Wynter’s arm and landed in Daven’s hands. The druid held the rat to his chest as he stood up, stroking its fur. The group stopped and watched as the druid hissed out a few squeaks and the rat returned them. Wynter couldn’t keep her eyes off Daven and the rat as they carried on a conversation. It had to be the most adorable thing she had seen in ages. The glowing balls of blue fire cast by Wynter hovered overhead, casting their light along the wide corridor as Daven and the rat finished communicating.

  Daven raised an eyebrow and the rat squeaked a few more times, “Team, I think we’re in trouble.”

  “What is it?” Kai asked from the back.

  “We haven’t run into any monsters because they set up a trap.”

  Kai pulled his bow from his back, an arrow nocked. Eyes narrowing, he sniffed at the air. A moment ago, he only smelled musty air but now he recognized a foul odor. The trolls drew their weapons and took battle stances. Nikki drew her blade and searched the darkness ahead of her. Wynter looked down each side of the large corridor while Daven continued to squeak back and forth with the rat.

  “They have already taken down a group. They are trying to take down each group at a time. We’re next.”

  “What are they? Does the rat know from which direction?” Nikki asked as fingers tightened around the pommel of her blade.

  Kai kept his hard gaze on the darkness, “Kobolds.”

  Nikki raised an eyebrow, “Kobolds? They are like the weakest monster there is. I can fight them by myself.”

  The rat leapt from Daven’s arms and scurried away. The druid wrapped both hands around his staff as he took a defensive stance.

  “No, you can’t. There are thousands of them and they’re coming for us.”

  Wynter stood at the ready as their troll escorts fanned out and took defensive positions. Kai lifted his bow and aimed his nocked arrow down the dark hallway.

  “Thousands!” Nikki glanced around for any hint of movement.

  “The top levels belong to them. It’s their city.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. Someone would have reported that on previous raids,” Nikki kept her knees bent and eyes wide.

  “The dungeon is different with each raid,” Wynter said as she readied her spells. “We can’t stay here.”

  Kai kept his arms taught. Dark eyes searched for any hint of a living thing. The smell grew and soon overpowered the ranger’s senses. A faint glint appeared at the end of the hallway. Black eyes appeared by the dozens as little bodies moved. Teeth gleamed and saliva dripped as small dog like humanoids melted from the shadows. Dark armor covered their small bodies as they moved, blades drawn. One of them barked and soon they were all barking, the tone carried with it a thirst for blood.

  “Nikki, lead the way and find a place we can defend ourselves. Wynter and Daven, stay with her. Captain Vell, I will need you and your soldiers to assist me when they get too close,” Kai directed with a touch of coolness in his voice.

  Everyone moved at once. There were no arguments or discussion as the gravity of the situation hit everyone like cold water. Nikki began moving forward with Wynter and Daven at her heels. The trolls moved into formation, flanking Kai’s left and right, forming a triangle with the ranger as the tip. Kai let out a breath as beady eyes stared. One kobold barked loudly and the flood began.

  Kai released. The arrow shot forth, barely a blur. Three kobolds screeched as the arrow stabbed through them. Bodies falling, they shattered into a greenish light. It didn’t stop the horde of snarling creatures as they moved with inhuman speed down the corridor. Kai drew another arrow, nocked and released. Over and over he let arrows fly as he and fellow trolls steadily back peddled. Green light flashed over and over as arrows cut through two to three kobolds at a time.

  Nikki charged the darkness in the opposite direction of the incoming kobold army. The sound of her armor clanked against walls until a gr
owing thunder filled the corridor. The knight eyed ahead as a rumble rose up.

  “I can hear them up ahead!” The knight shouted.

  “Keep going! We have to find a place to defend!” Wynter shouted back.

  The trio passed several doorways on their right and left before reaching the end of the corridor. It was T shaped and led off to either direction. Before they could decide where to go, barks and howls rose up from both sides. A moment later, humanoid dog creatures came snarling from the darkness.

  “Pull back!” Daven shouted.

  The trio of players stepped back as the howling mad monsters closed in. Wynter eyed a decayed wooden door with iron bands. Without thinking, she grabbed Daven and pushed him to the doorway, knocking the door open. Nikki gritted her teeth as the horde reached the T intersection and converged. Before she could shout in defiance, Wynter grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back to the door. Daven had the door open and was through it. Wynter pulled Nikki with her to the doorframe, glancing down the hall to Kai.

  Trolls heaved swords and clubs as they cut and smashed the enemy. Kai’s bow was slung to his back and short sword drawn. Kobold heads separated from their necks before bursting into shattered light. On and on they continued their grisly work but the flood of monsters pushed the trolls back.

  “Kai!” Wynter shouted over the clash of metal. She could see that they were still about eighty feet away.

  “Barricade yourselves in! We have to fight our way there!” Kai shouted over the song of metal on metal.

  Wynter pulled back as her heart tore in half. Daven slammed the heavy door shut and kept his hands against the rotting wood. Green light glowed from his hands as he closed his eyes. Nikki bolted the door and stepped back. Necromancer and knight watched as the druid’s energy powered into the door. Rotting holes closed up as energy healed the door. Daven let go and stepped back, the oak wood looking brand new before it shuddered on its hinges.

  “That’s not going to hold them,” Daven said as he readied himself.

  “It just needs to hold them for a few seconds,” Wynter said as she began her incantations.

  Gray energy flowed from Wynter’s hands as she made the proper movements. Concentrating, she dipped a hand into her side pouch and pulled out a fistful of lesser soul shards. With a final command, the shards faded from view. The necromancer opened her eyes as the gray energy turned green, arcane symbols swirling in the air.

  In the corridor, kobolds threw themselves at the doorway, hacking and slashing at it. Underneath them, glowing arcane symbols appeared. Rising up from the middle of each circle, white skeletons appeared. Kobolds turning their attention to the skeletons in their midst, the corridor erupted in contained frenzy. The skeletons lashed out with boney claws, taking hold of kobolds and tearing them apart. The dog beasts launched themselves onto the skeletal creations, cracking and breaking bone. In a matter of seconds, twenty kobolds were shattered into light while the eight skeletons created burst apart.

  Kai managed to glance back as the corridor was momentarily empty. Dread coiled around him as it quickly filled with kobolds once again. Green arcane circles appeared and eight more skeletons joined in the fray. A troll to Kai’s left fell to one knee, with slash marks crisscrossing his thick legs. He struggled to get back up as several blades sank into his stomach. The troll growled his defeat as he shattered into shards of light. Captain Vell took the troll’s place in the triangle but the onslaught continued. Kai grunted as a blade sank into his thigh and then another. It was maddening, for every six killed, one managed to get through and slice at them. At this rate, they were going to die from a thousand cuts.

  Wynter’s brow wrinkled as the second wave of skeletons was destroyed, “There’s too many to keep this up. I need something stronger.”

  The necromancer changed the incantation. Gray energy flowed from hands, forming arcane symbols. The energy turned red as Wynter dipped into her pouch and pulled out a full hand of lesser soul shards. The kobolds attacked the door, knocking out large chucks of wood as they battered it with swords and spiked maces. Four red arcane circles appeared along the floor in the corridor. Red skeletons rose up and immediately attacked the small humanoids. The tide shifted as red skeletal hands slashed and paralyzed at the same time. Kobolds threw themselves at the undead but fell immobilized from simple touching glances. The bloody bones pushed at the horde, slicing and biting, keeping the howling horde at bay.

  Kai glanced back to see they had an opening, “Fallback to the door!”

  Trolls hacked and slashed with renewed fury. The distance closed with each painful step. A Bloody Bones took two maces to the thigh bone and crumpled from the impact. The three-remaining continued to hold back the horde but they began to lose ground. Kai kept up his assault even after two more slashed his legs. Hit points draining, he looked back to see that they were a mere ten feet away. One of the troll’s broke formation and ran for the door. Hands banging on the wood, the troll shouted to get let in.

  Nikki pulled back the bolt and swung the door open. The troll spilled in and then another and another. A Bloody Bones shattered to pieces. Captain Vell grabbed Kai and pushed him into the room before stepping in. Blue hands grabbed the bolt and secured it shut. The remaining bloody bones fought on as the other side of kobolds reached them. Corridor filled with blades and howls, the red skeletons were quickly dispatched as the little monsters bore their blades down on them over and over again.

  With the door momentarily secure, Wynter opened her eyes and drank in her surroundings. The room was large and bare except for rotted tapestries hanging from the walls. The door rattled as the kobolds pressed their attack on it. Kai pulled a potion from his side pouch and drank it, the wounds on his legs closing up. Nikki stood in front of the door, eyes locked on it. Daven raised a hand; glowing green healing energy filled the room as leaves made of light touched them and faded away.

  Kai moved to the middle of the group, “Everyone get ready. They’re going to come through that door and we have to hold them back for as long as we can.”

  Daven shook his head, “I don’t think we even made a dent in the population. We’re going to be fighting for hours.”

  “I’m ready if you’re ready, Kai,” Nikki said with an eager shout.

  “Everyone take turns fighting. Daven, we need you to simply heal. We lose anyone else then we’re sunk,” Kai turned his attention to Wynter, “Any chance of calling up an army?”

  Wynter nodded, “I can use lesser shards but my Will and Stamina attributes will get used up if I create anything higher than a white skeleton.”

  Kai nodded with grim eyes, “Then keep it basic until we can figure a way out.”

  The door shuddered again and a rusty iron band cracked. Kai stepped over and stood by Nikki’s side. The trolls formed up with them. Daven stayed to the back while Wynter stood before him but behind Kai and Nikki. The door rattled again and a large chuck of wood cracked open. Beady eyes and snarling teeth appeared for a moment before pulling back, blades pushing through, cracking the door further.

  “No one dies,” Kai commanded with short sword in hand.

  Nikki nodded. Daven let out a sigh as he raised his hand and clutched his staff. The trolls eyed the door as it splintered apart. Wynter held her breath as she readied her incantations. She didn’t expect to run into such a difficult situation so early. If she died, then that was that. She would be spending the weekend knowing she failed her guild. All the time spent building up her power would have been for nothing. All that time with Leopold would mean nothing, just like their relationship.

  The door cracked and burst off the hinges. It hit the stone floor with a crash as kobolds slipped in like a tsunami. The wave of monsters came at the single line of defenders as more poured in. Kai gritted his teeth but Nikki’s eyes blazed open. Like a wild thing unleashed, she burst forward toward the incoming short wave of monsters. Sword gleaming for an instant of a second, the knight growled a shout as she hit the kobolds lik
e a hurricane.

  Wynter could barely make Nikki out as the knight whirled. Sword slashing left and right, kobold bodies burst into light and many more took their place. Unhinged, she fought on, driving her blade across necks and cleaving bodies. Kai and the trolls joined as kobolds spilled around her. The battle turned to inches as swords killed several kobolds at a time but more moved in.

  The necromancer recited her incantations, gray energy turning green and forming into arcane circles. Eight white skeletons rose up from the ground and joined her team to fight off the little monsters. Light burst constantly around Nikki as, with every swing, she took down another enemy. Trolls smashed kobolds into light over and over again while Kai kept his attacks focused and deadly. Wynter pointed a hand, black energy snaking around her fingers. With a thought, black lightning burst forth. It streaked across the room and past Kai’s leg. The bolt struck one kobold, life draining from his face as it was thrown back. The body decayed to gray muscle and then white bone before shattering to light. In its place, a falling black gem the size of a small strawberry. The lesser soul shard changed its direction and flew across to the room into Wynter’s outstretched hand. She quickly stuffed it into her soul pouch and pointed her hand again, black lightning blasting outward.

  Wynter kept up the pace as she blasted kobold after kobold, soul shards flying to her hand and quickly put into her inventory. She was making up the use of her other shards and then some. The skeletons she called up where falling one by one. She was down to two animated ones before she began the incantation to call up more. Despite the amount of damage, they were dealing out, the kobolds wouldn’t stop coming.

  Eight long minutes passed and the horde did not stop. Wynter guessed that they had already killed a few hundred but the little monsters wouldn’t stop appearing. They showed no fear as they marched to their deaths. Daven was busy, casting natural healing spells but his stamina and strength were giving out. Kai was taking damage even though he was making the enemy pay with their lives. Even Wynter felt fatigued as she dished black lightning bolts and animating undead to the battle. Nikki was the only one not tiring. In fact, she seemed to burn hotter the longer they fought.