by D. R. Rosier
Her smile faded, and I actually felt guilty at the look on her face when she realized I wasn’t going to talk to her. What’s up with that?
She sighed, “Very well, it is out of the ordinary, but I wonder if it’s contributed to your stability in some way. Which is a good thing if true. I want you to consider speaking with me, I’m just curious and love to learn, and will keep your secrets. You have my word, on my magic. I’ll leave you for now to consider my offer.”
She replaced the cover of the crypt, and then stepped into the teleportation alcove and returned to the surface. Maybe I would think about it. I’d also start experimenting with a new dungeon crystal design. I doubted I’d be able to make anything to hold my whole being, but perhaps the small piece of myself that I intended to leave behind once I was gone.
It would be nice to put that small piece in a crystal that wasn’t a prison. Truthfully though, I didn’t know where to start. But it made sense to me, to reverse my earlier plan. Use the primary crystal to hold a piece of my essence, and be able to absorb life force, and transmute that to any magic I wanted after that. Then have alternate elemental crystals attuned to me and buried, which I could use like a mage would to store and use extra magic. I could build a life force crystal maybe, but would that work? My life force was the essence of dark magic after all, not life force as humans knew it. I wasn’t sure a part of me could exist in a standard dungeon crystal, even outside of power considerations.
I’d have to think more on it later, and to be honest it was the last thing I should be worried about. It was the last part of my plans after all, and I’d only do something like that when I was ready for most of my essence to return to the plane it belonged on. I had more immediate and pressing goals to focus on right now.
As for talking with the old elf lady, I’d share the memory and discuss it with Ebony when she got back.
Except… I had lots of time to kill until Ebony got back in the morning, and even if I couldn’t replace my main crystal, I could stop killing myself adding bands and just store the magic in separate crystals. If I sunk them below me and shielded them from detection, I wouldn’t have to worry about them being stolen unless I died. It would also allow me to build more levels. I’d still be waiting until I figured out the elemental thing, but replacing one bottle neck with another was still progress of sorts.
I decided to go with elemental stones arbitrarily, and created quite a large one. Not like the marbles I made for rewards, but almost a foot in diameter and able to hold all six spheres just like my crystal. It would hold hundreds of times the amount of magic my current crystal would hold, but was simple to make because it was empty. If I’d made a mistake, I could simply make a new one.
I created a small chamber in the earth directly below me, just two feet square, and enchanted the hell out of the walls to contain the aura so it wouldn’t be felt. Then I created a bond to the sphere using dark magic, and dropped it into the ground. The earth flowed around it, and it settled into its new home.
The bond would automatically level the power between my crystal and my new… what did Ebony call it? My new elemental battery. The power would flow freely between the bands on both crystals, without me monitoring it.
Then I started to pull the life force energies from the succubae and incubi, and started to transform it to magic for storage. I went through all they held, over sixty life forces, and the large sphere was still only at about fifteen percent saturation, while my crystal was full. I mentally groaned at all the painstaking effort and concentration to increase my primary crystal’s size, but then I realized I didn’t have the grounding in magic to do what I just did until recently. So, it wasn’t a wasted effort.
I’d also have to keep doing it anyway, so that my outer aura matched with the size of my dungeon. If I stayed the same size as my dungeon grew, even the thickest adventurer would catch on.
I took the time to banish the demons in the sex cavern, and filled that in with stone. I didn’t need them anymore. Unless hundreds of people died in my dungeon I’d never fill the thing, and even if I did, I could create a second, one foot diameter sphere, and bury that one too. No, power storage wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
I had all the energy I needed now to expand, but I had nothing to expand with. I was still waiting for the knowledge and ability to summon and control more powerful elementals. There was nothing interesting in the dungeon to focus on right now, so I started to plan my next expansion. I might not have been ready for the elementals, but I could work on the rest of it. I decided to expand six floors, two undead, two elemental, and two more demon, all progressively harder from level nine.
I’d done a lot of learning and experimenting with magic since that initial dump of information from Lila. The necromancy I learned was rather elementary in its application, almost crude. I created a new kind of skeleton. I imbued it with dark magic same as always, but included a spark of light magic to make it slightly more intelligent, like I did for the mages and knights.
Now that I had a smarter skeleton, I focused on making it tougher. Using Earth magic, I toughened it bones, making them far more dense, and then I added a steel coating. I then used a few enchantments to build protections in from light magic, and fire magic. I was fairly sure at this point, the skeleton would be immune to normal weapons, and resistant to magical ones. They were also very heavy and would hit extremely hard.
As a result of all that, they’d also be a little slower, but that didn’t matter, they were tanks, not assassins.
I then went on to make improved versions of zombies, undead knights, and mages. By the time I had the tenth and eleventh levels worked out, I was confident they were at the adept two and three levels.
I did the same with levels twelve and thirteen, with the more powerful elementals, making them adept level three and four. Of course, I was still lacking the critical controls for the elementals, but once I had them the rest of the design was finished and ready to implement.
Ebony popped in, she was bouncing on her toes, and radiating with excitement.
“Hey sexy, you’re here early.”
Ebony grinned, “I know, but I found it, what you’ve been looking for. I can go back again in a minute.”
Without further comment, she cast the spell and sent me the knowledge of a book relating to elementals and their planes. Like I’d suspected, I had lacked critical knowledge. I immediately applied changes, and then experimented.
“Thanks sexy. You don’t have to go back tonight if you don’t want to.”
She smiled, “I want to, I found a whole cache of advanced books locked in a cabinet, the curiosity is killing me.”
“Alright, see you soon then?”
She posed sexily, “Count on it master,” and then took off like a shot.
The experiment worked, which was exciting. I’d been waiting a few weeks to figure that out.
The planning for the fourteenth and fifteenth floors went quickly. Lila’s knowledge of demon summoning was rather more advanced than her necromancy, and I didn’t have any problems binding the more powerful demons to my service. Adept level mages and warriors put the fourteenth and fifteenth levels at adept levels four and five respectively.
After that, I worked on the rewards, and then started the actual building of six more levels beneath the gnomes’ cavern. It would only take me about six hours, and then I’d simply hook in the new teleportation levels, and move myself, my large elemental stone, and Ebony’s home to the last room on fifteen. I wouldn’t even have to close the dungeon to do it, with the new teleport rooms, expanding would be easy even with others in the dungeon. Unless they were on my level, then I’d just wait until they left.
I had the power to build more than six new levels, but I didn’t for a couple of reasons. One, I kind of wanted to do something different after level fifteen, instead of just more undead, elementals, and demons. The second reason was I didn’t want to panic the adventurers. I was growing damned fast as it was, and as a relatively new du
ngeon I’d already completely covered initiate to adept after this change, of all levels within those designations.
All I had left was master levels. Which I was torn about. It would be nice to have floors that protected me from adventurers at master level strength with the enemies I had, but if I built too fast that would lead to issues as well. It might make me safer from Jennesar, but it would also draw a more suspicious eye from the guild and perhaps Nysten. I didn’t need that. I’d probably readdress and add more levels in a few weeks, or a month.
When I finished, I realized I hadn’t talked to Ebony about the old lady, I supposed it would keep. I was also curious what treasures those advanced magic books had hidden inside, so I didn’t bug her.
“Nurien,” Lila said throatily into my mind.
“Hello love, things going okay?”
I felt Lila’s blush at my endearment.
She said, “Things are wonderful, I’m in the capitol city, and I’ve plumbed the mind of one of the acolytes. He didn’t know much about any plans, but he knew the names of the inner circle around the highest of Jennesar. For now, I’m just going to watch them, and get to know their routines, eventually I’ll know who I can grab and when.”
“Sounds good, you’re safe?”
I couldn’t help it, I worried.
She replied softly, “I’m very safe, in fact, I’m positive I won’t be disturbed for quite a while, if you know what I mean?”
I did, and I missed her badly. I cast the fantasy spell down our dark magic bond, and followed it with my mind. Then I took her in my arms…
Chapter Seven
Catalina snorted a laugh, and her morning tea came out of her nose as her eyes burned and watered. When she got a hold of herself she glared at Mina.
Mina said, “It’s true, he was totally drunk, and singing an outrageous serenade to Suzy, who he’d just met hours before. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it down here, it was the gossip of the castle for months.”
Catalina gazed at Mina suspiciously. She’d learned Mina was a total sweetheart, and didn’t have a mean or deceptive bone in her body. Sometimes she wondered how the young woman had survived at court. She wasn’t a flirt either, not like Sienna had been, but then she didn’t need to be. She was… curvaceous, gorgeous, and incredibly sweet. She didn’t have to flirt, she didn’t need to in order to have most of the guys around her pay attention, or the ladies for that matter. She wasn’t mischievous exactly, but more playful in an understated way.
Still, this last story had made her snort out her morning tea, through her nose.
She turned to Suzy, “Is that true?”
Suzy blushed, “Yes, I was mortified, but also flattered.”
Suzy was horribly shy, she couldn’t imagine what that had put the girl through.
She sighed and stared down at her tea.
Mina giggled, “I’ll get you a new one Cat.”
Mina stood and walked away, and she caught herself looking, so stopped. She sighed at herself, a little flush of guilt for her thoughts for the beautiful and voluptuous water mage. She wasn’t ready to move on, not after just three weeks, but it was clear her body had other ideas. She noticed yesterday the magic, and the adrenaline, were starting to make her horny like she used to be after a day of fighting.
Like her body was waking up out of the grief, and pure instinct and physical needs were reasserting themselves, despite herself. Her mind wasn’t quite caught up to that, but she couldn’t deny that it was almost painful to resist. She didn’t even resent Mina’s presence anymore. She was sweet, and thoughtful, and had weathered her random bitchiness over the first week with understanding and grace.
It was clear which way the wind was blowing, and that Mina was attracted to her as well, but she just wasn’t ready. Even if it was just meaningless sex, which she had the feeling it wouldn’t be. It never was.
Mina grinned as she sat down and put a tea in front of her, “There you go Cat. I’ll try not to tell funny stories when your drinking next time.”
Cat snorted, “Don’t let me stop you, anytime you want to tell a funny story about Jerrold, I’m all for it.”
Mina giggled.
Jerrold sighed in mock disgust, “I’m outnumbered, what in the hell was I thinking forming a party with three ladies?”
Cat snickered, “You know you love it, it keeps you humble.”
Jerrold laughed, “Humble, is it? Me?”
Suzy leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Mina smile faded, “You all feel that?”
At first, she didn’t know what Mina was talking about, but then she felt the auras.
“Five masters?”
Jerrold grunted, “Six including Donnell, shall we take a look? It’s time to hit the dungeon anyway.”
The ladies agreed, and she finished off her tea and stood up. She wasn’t sure what she could do, or even if there was something needing to be done, but she was the heir to Tenemin duchy, so she needed to investigate at the least.
They walked out of the tavern and over toward the keep. There were five men standing in a semi-circle, and Donnell was standing right at the entrance to the keep. She couldn’t hear them at first, but it looked like an argument of some kind.
Donnell said flatly while hefting his maul, “You are masters from Jennesar, you aren’t welcome here. I’m not saying it again.”
One of the men replied, “I thought the guild was neutral, stand aside.”
Donnell spat on the ground, “We are neutral between kingdoms, and in politics. We don’t take sides. However, Jennesar seeks the end of this dungeon, and that’s a side we are willing to take, against it.”
Oh shit. She didn’t know what to do, so she watched and waited to see what would happen. All she knew was any one of those guys could crush her whole party. Still, she was a princess. Unless they were willing to start a war, they wouldn’t harm her.
Another of the men laughed, “And you’re going to stop us? We didn’t come here looking to fight, or harm humans or the other humanoid races here. We’re just here to… check out the dungeon,” he said meaningfully.
She stepped forward, wondering just how dumb she was being. If she guessed wrong, and they didn’t care about her rank or who she was, they’d kill her without a second thought. She exchanged a look with Jerrold, who while not an heir was certainly a prince. His eyes told her all she needed to know as she looked at the men again.
She said with authority, “Stop right there. You are not welcome here. The last master from Jennesar got his head sent home in a box, maybe you should consider leaving.”
Jerrold said in disbelief, “Subtle princess, real subtle.”
She shrugged, she really hated Jennesar, bunch of asses…
Carlton frowned in thought, and hoped this wasn’t a mistake. The guard was under the loyalty spell, which fought the truth spell, and also ensured he wouldn’t talk about it accidentally. No slips of the tongue. He knew if he pushed hard enough, his truth spell would eventually break the loyalty spell laid on them. He just didn’t know if the guard’s mind would survive such a thing.
But, they needed to know the truth.
He formed the truth spell in his mind and filled it with power, and then released it into the guard.
The guard screamed as if he were being tortured, and didn’t stop.
He grimly cast the spell again, this time with even more power.
The guard’s screams stopped, and he answered the question from before, but the guard also seemed completely disconnected and dull.
“Verin made a deal with the highest of Jennesar. The king’s family and his soldiers will be taken care of at the beginning of the battle. After that, it should go quickly as the army loses heart. After that, Verin will declare he’s in charge, and that Nysten is now part of Jennesar.”
He growled, “When, when is the war scheduled for.”
The guard shrugged and answered in a dead voice, “Two, maybe three months. They’re still con
scripting an army, then they’ll have to train for a couple of months.”
He was fairly sure the paladin guard’s mind was broken, but he didn’t feel guilty. The asshole deserved it, and worse.
“Why? What does Verin get out of it?”
The guard replied, “Unopposed and total rule over Nysten. He’ll be beholden to the highest of Jennesar only, and to their laws. The king and the other nobles are fools who always get in the way of the church of light, it’s time for us to rule.”
“That’s insane, does Verin really believe the Jennesar will keep their word?”
The guard snorted, the first sign of life he’d shown since the spell took effect, but his words were still devoid of emotion, “Of course not. But they will for a time, they’ll let us and Verin face the task of converting the people to new masters, gods, and laws. Verin believes they won’t move to remove him for at least a year, and in that time, he will usurp Jennesar’s highest, and rule in both kingdoms.”
Holy shit. He’d underestimated Verin’s ambitions, and perhaps overestimated his sanity. He was crazy if he thought he could usurp both kingdoms.
He said, “How many know about this, and are in on the plan?”
The guard said, “Everyone in the crown city, and several of the officers in Tenemin including the new high cleric over the city.”
He wasn’t surprised that the weasel that was sent to replace him was in on it. But he wondered which of his officers were against him. It was hard to believe, but at the same time he knew that was a naïve position.
“The proof, where is it?”
The guard said, “Most of it is word of mouth, but there is proof of his sedition in the highest’s personal temple. Letters between him and the highest of Jennesar.”
That made things very difficult, it would be impossible to infiltrate, at least not without more information.
“How can I gain entry?”
Before the guard could answer, the door was blown in and reduced to splinters. He turned in shock as several paladins rushed in, with clerics in support positions. Diana reached for her sword, but he waved her down. He might be able to fight his way out of this, but he doubted the others would make it through the gauntlet.