by Dante King
The crystal was firm, but it didn’t take me long to find microscopic fractures in the frame of the material and absorb it. Then I consumed the honeywood until nothing remained of the entire staff. Finally, I consumed the priest’s robe and his satchel.
Zagorath Consumed Magic Staff (Honeywood)
Physical Essence +50
Zagorath Consumed Priestly Robes (Roughweave Cotton)
Physical Essence +10
Zagorath Consumed Satchel (Tanned Leather)
Physical Essence +5
Zagorath Acquired Blueprints
Staff (Magic)
Priestly Robes (Common)
Satchel (Common)
Laying on the floor where the priest’s satchel had been was a tiny statue of a fairy-like creature. It was made of the same burnished metal as the soul forge and the Hellbat effigy, and my eyes widened as I realized its purpose. As my mind crawled over the item, it became known to me, and then Abby spoke.
“It’s a Storm effigy,” she said with a hint of worn nostalgia. “It won’t be possible for you to use it.”
“Hmm . . .” It might not have been useful to me right now, but it would almost certainly become valuable if I figured a way for my soul forge to consume it. Abby might just be the key to that, so I left the effigy there and moved on.
Another sweeping glance over my floors, stairs, and passages, and I was satisfied I hadn’t forgotten anything. Bertha was up in the antechamber, meditating in her favorite position. I still hadn’t resummoned Puck after his death, and I figured I’d give the half-troll a little more recuperation time while upgrading my weapons.
I built a new dagger out of Obsidian Alloy and inscribed the Swiftness +1 sigil into the hilt beneath its pommel.
Crafted Item!
Agile Pig-Sticking Dagger (Obsidian Alloy)
Rarity: Magic
Damage Type: Infernal
Seals: Swiftness +1
Swiftness channels the essence inside a wielder and increases their speed.
Cost: 1,000 Infernal Essence, 150 Physical Essence
I put the dagger beside my core and recreated six new scimitars and one dagger built from Orc Steel. The new set of weapons appeared on the side altars, replacing where the cleavers had once been. I created brand new pieces of leather armor and let them rest on the altars alongside the weapons. In total, five sets of armor required 350 Physical Essence. I embossed small details of Lilith’s visage and collections of skulls in the items as a kind of brand for Zagorath.
Then my mind turned to my champions. Bertha’s halberd seemed to be holding up fine, so I left it alone. I doubted Puck could actually swing with any sort of power, so I left him unarmed. His shadow-spheres and flight would have to do for now.
I forged a new Savage Halberd as a tempting piece of treasure for the next set of adventurers. Instead of Troll Iron or Orc Steel, I used the Obsidian Alloy to form a glaive-like head of shining black metal. I etched a Might sigil into the blade and wrapped the handle in fresh Black Leather, giving the user a better grip. With a little flair, I shaped a single rack for it, directly in front of my core’s plinth.
With the veritable ocean of Infernal Essence swirling in my core, I flooded my soul forge chamber with fifty Hellbats. They exploded from the swirling miasma of energy in the clawed platform, whirled up through the ceiling, and took their place once again in the vents. I ordered twenty above the antechamber, twenty into warrens above the First Floor, and the last ten I tucked away above the side altars in the Pretzel.
I still had over 3,000 Infernal Essence but wanted to spare some just in case new upgrades came along.
“That was… amazing,” Abby said in awe.
“Sure you weren’t going to say impossible?” I questioned.
“Shush.”
Her reaction just made me laugh. Lilith really had wanted me to do well.
Finished for now, I glanced over my dungeon’s status page.
Zagorath
Type: Infernal Core
Essences
Physical - 3,360/10,000
Infernal - 3,496
Soul - 925
Soul Forges
Hellbat
Champions
Bertha the Hell Troll/Human (Black Sands)
Puck the Infernal Imp
Traps
Spring Trap (Physical)
Bladed Fan (Physical)
Ceiling Spike (Physical)
Floor Spike (Physical)
Materials
Obsidian
Bread-rock
Honeywood
Troll Iron
Leather Scraps
Obsidian Alloy
Clouded Ruby Gemstone
Black Leather
Tanned Leather
Goblin Oil
Orc Steel
Roughweave Cotton
Cheap Crystal
Blueprints
Cleaver (Magic)
Poleaxe (Common)
Savage Halberd (Magic)
Savage Mace (Magic)
Two-Handed Great Sword (Epic)
Orc Scimitar (Common)
Orc Short Spear (Common)
Leather Jerkin (Common)
Leather Boots (Common)
Leather Cuffs (Common)
Leather Pants (Common)
Leather Belt (Common)
Pig-Sticking Dagger (Magic)
Staff (Magic)
Priestly Robes (Common)
Satchel (Common)
Seals
Swiftness (750 Infernal Essence)
Swiftness +1 (1,000 Infernal Essence)
Might (1,000 Infernal Essence)
Illuminate (100 Infernal Essence)
Lilith had definitely given me an advantage in one sense; while I still had to number-crunch, the game-style readout of what I’d learned was incredibly useful. Then a new notification rolled over my vision, my eyes widening as I read the text.
Zagorath Increased in Power!
Total Champions Increased: 2 → 3
Maximum Physical Essence Increased: 10,000 → 20,000
Maximum Avatar Time: 60 minutes → 180 minutes
I figured I’d leveled up, and the power increases were definitely welcome. I could add another champion to my ranks, could carry additional Physical Essence, and my avatar could spend far more time outside my jewel. All in all, it had been a damned good day.
I turned my consciousness back to Abby, and her mind crackled as if she was blushing.
“Want a tour?” I asked. “I’ve another slot for a champion, and it might be worth scouring the mountain’s peak for something useful.”
“I’d be honored.” Abby summoned her avatar, and the light-haired woman appeared on the newly clean surface of my First Floor.
Abby sat on the stair, her tension and fear starting to relax. Despite everything she’d told me about trust, she did trust me. Or she was willing to, at least.
I laughed at that from my jewel. “I have a gift for you, over by the plinth. I may need it later but carry it for me, will you?”
The pig-sticking dagger I’d designed for myself shifted from its original position and emerged from liquid obsidian beside Abby. She shifted, surprised, then took the weapon in her hand.
I glanced back at Puck, his consciousness still latent in one of my facets. He felt peaceful and I suppressed a laugh. If I was going to even be flirting with the idea of dominating Abby, he’d make things more difficult than they had to be. I resolved to summon him later.
Von Dominus materialized next to Abby’s avatar, and I possessed the elf. His skin was clean and his muscles fresh. My core seemed to both repair and bathe him whenever I returned him there. He still didn’t have a shirt, so I’d have to figure out how the clothes worked soon. Abby seemed to appreciate my avatar’s muscular torso, so maybe it could wait a little while.
As my eyes combed over the hooded cloak of my new acquaintance, I had to admit I wanted something like that for myself. If I wanted to intimidate ad
venturers and make a striking entrance against seasoned professionals, I was going to need to work on my presentation.
Still, baby steps. Slowly but surely, I would get there.
“Shall we?” I held out my hand, and Abby blushed all the more as she took it.
“The decoration is wonderful,” she said as we crossed the vast chamber. “Maybe a little dark for me, but the geometric patterns are quite something.”
The beautiful avatar’s eyes lingered on the patterns, watching the way they curled into each other. Rough representations, maybe, of winged bats, teeth, and curling demon claws, but I took a lot of pride in my work. If Abby’s admiration was any indication, it was paying off. She shook her head with wonder at the side altars, and I pointed out the vents, hiding my demonic Hellbats above.
“It works as its own kind of trap.” I grinned. “Adventurers may take their prizes, but they still have to fight for them. The promise of rewards will bring more visitors to my lair, but I suppose you already know all this? What did you use for bait in your dungeon?”
“I didn’t have a lot of traps,” she admitted. “I wanted my dungeon to reflect the beauty of Ciryli.” A note of pride crept into her tone. “Adventurers came not to die, but to appreciate the beauty of my halls. I was almost like a little temple of the storm goddess, and she protected me in turn.”
“What did your dungeon look like? I know it was beautiful, but was it on a mountain-top or perhaps deep within a catacomb?”
“It was a tower structure. Very high in the air. So high, the clouds brushed against my entrance.”
I raised an eyebrow at her suggestive word choice, suppressing a grin. “So, adventurers had to make quite the effort before finding your . . . entrance?”
Abby nodded happily but didn’t seem to catch my double meaning.
“How did you collect their essence, then?” I asked.
Abby smiled. “You might be powerful, Von Dominus, but I had my ways. Adventurers would gift me their Soul Essence in order to enter through my gates.”
“Since we’re keeping things informal, call me Dom.”
“As you wish,” she replied. “Dom.”
I smiled at her as I led her up the stairs to the antechamber. “So, you charged them a fee?”
She nodded. “A significant price, but a fair one.”
“How did you stop them if they just wanted to barge in?”
“I didn’t,” she said. “They respected the treaty. At least, all of them did until Karlyle.”
“You’ll have to take me to the Storm Realm one day,” I said as I stopped her on the final stair. “I’d love to see the Temple of Ciryli. I’d also love to see what became of your dungeon. Maybe I could even help you bring it back to life?”
“I don’t know how long it’s been since I was taken from there,” Abby said, her voice growing suddenly small. “Ciryli might even have replaced me by now.”
I chewed over that sentence. If cores were a way for the gods to leverage power over each other while also maintaining a balance between both the guilds and the monsters, then Abby had a fair point. Who was to say that Lilith didn’t already have other cores from my world back home, growing in similar power in the Infernally-infused corner of the Sinarius Realms?
“If that’s the case,” I said, bumping her shoulder playfully with mine, “I’ll find you something far more fitting. You can just build like I did, something a hundred times better than your original dungeon. If Ciryli thinks you’re replaceable, you’ll just have to prove her wrong, won’t you?”
Abby smiled at that. “You think just because you can break the rules, that suddenly the rest of us can do that? Start our own dungeons and take over the Sinarius Realms? Ciryli gave me my location; I am forbidden from building anywhere else.”
“And you’re just meant to curl up and die now? Ciryli was meant to protect you, but she didn’t. You don’t owe her anything at all.”
Abby didn’t have an answer to that, but as I led her into the antechamber, I saw a new spring in her step. The shyness was starting to flow away from her as though she was shedding an old skin.
Bertha stood up from her meditative position as I entered the antechamber. She glanced from me to Abby, and there was no hiding the surprise in her eyes.
“Abby, this is Bertha, my champion,” I said. “Bertha, this is Abigail, formerly a core of the Temple of Cirylia.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Abby said, but I could feel the sudden tension in her voice.
“I have little love for your goddess, Abigail,” Bertha told her, “But if my master sees fit to protect you within these halls, then consider yourself under my protection also.”
Abby’s mouth tightened into that coral line again, and she nodded. “I thank you.”
“How are you faring?” I asked Bertha.
“Well, Master. I’m glad you’ve seen fit to keep the imp hidden for now. He bothers me something fierce.” Bertha smiled at me before she resumed her meditative position right in the center of the room. A smile touched the corner of Bertha’s mouth, and she indicated for me to join her for a private conversation.
“Do you mind giving me a minute?” I asked Abby. “Just don’t step here.” I pointed to the tile with the Fan Blade trigger.
“Thank you for the warning,” she said before I left her.
“I see you’ve made a new friend,” Bertha said as I approached.
“Ah, yeah,” I whispered. Abby was busy staring at the demonic bat decoration garnishing the far wall, wholly oblivious to our conversation. I hadn’t done anything with the dungeon core yet, but my elf’s special ability almost required that I consider it. Bertha knew almost nothing about it, but I’d have to discuss my desires for many-to-one relationships at some point or other.
“If your fear is my jealousy, dismiss it.” The half-troll paused, and her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Great warriors are to spread their seed wherever they please. It strengthens their breeding partners. The continuing strength of Zagorath is your priority. Puck and I benefit from every step you take on the road to greater power. You are my Master. Who am I to disagree with your will?”
Relief raced through my body. “You continue to surprise me, champion.”
“I was your first,” she told me, a glow of pride in her tone. “And I shall always be your first. No one can take that from me. I was your first champion and the first to warm your bed.” Bertha chuckled, her jazz-singer voice always pleasing. “May I venture to speak beyond my station for a moment?”
“Sure,” I said, surprised for the umpteenth time how well-spoken she was compared to her kin. “I’m all ears.”
“The little one…” Bertha nodded toward Abby. “She’s soft. Breakable. Do your best to be gentle. She looks as if she’d shatter if you should take her quite the same way as you did me.”
“We’re not quite at that point yet,” I said with a stifled laugh, almost coughing with some slight hint of embarrassment. “But I appreciate the advice.”
“I doubt it will be long. I can already see how she thirsts for you, Von Dominus.”
I didn’t answer her on that; I was too aroused by the thought of the deed that apparently wasn’t too far away.
“I’d better get back,” I said. “It’s impolite to leave a guest by themselves—especially when she could trigger a trap at any moment.”
Bertha offered me a knowing smile as I turned my back to her and approached the female avatar. Abby was still studying the giant bat, running her hands over the carving and peering through the razor-thin slits lighting up the space.
“Where’s the light coming from?” she asked, looking back at me.
I grimaced. “My soul forge. I only found it after I started to excavate.”
“You mean you didn’t have one, to begin with?” she asked, astonished.
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.”
“You know what that means, right?”
“Yeah. There was another dungeon here
, a long time ago.” I joined her at the carving and let a hand slide over one of its eyes, down to the bat’s slitted snout and its gaping maw. “I think Entropy destroyed it and stripped the core away. Over time, everything started to shift back to the way it was before. Maybe Zagorath was a Temple of Lilith, once upon a time.”
“I just can’t understand how you’ve learned so quickly,” Abby murmured, looking over me. Again, she couldn’t keep her eyes off my chest, the lean curve of my arms. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. “How you’re so powerful.”
Bertha coughed and Abby’s hand retreated.
“Maybe we should take a look upstairs?” I asked. “The view from the mountain is something special.”
“An excellent idea,” Abby said.
Bertha smirked a little as I passed by her, and I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. She might have believed a powerful man like me could sleep with whomever he chose, but I doubted the half-troll would refrain from blocking me at every chance she could get. And she knew exactly what I was up to. The view from the mountain, indeed!
As we entered the sloping passageway leading to the surface, Abby glanced back to my champion and then to me. I kept any sign of uncertainty off my face. If Bertha wasn’t bothered with Abby, then they’d grow to like each other. Or, at least, they’d learn to interact civilly. Thankfully, my champion seemed neither possessive nor overly attached to me. She appreciated a pleasant reward for her labors and she was also absolutely right—she was always going to be my first, no matter what happened afterward.
My second, however, seemed like she would require a little more persuasion, even despite Bertha’s words of warning. Well, no matter; I was certainly up the task.