by Dante King
“There are traveling stones throughout the realm. Most have deteriorated so much that they don’t allow for actual travel, but it is possible to send messages through them. Jeff would have used one of those.”
“Hmmm . . . then the Sand Pirates could be here any moment. I need Zagorath at fighting strength, and I need it upgraded.
Abby had been strangely silent, and I followed her mind. Her senses moved over the First Floor, exploring it. She seemed frustrated but resigned. Something was going on here, something I couldn’t quite decipher.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked her.
She sighed. “I can’t excavate here.”
“Why not?”
“We’re not all like you, Dom. These are Lilith’s realms. Even the Physical Essence is drenched in enough of her energy to stop a Storm core from claiming the earth of her realm.”
Damn. I’d been banking on her being able to help me excavate. The Sand Pirates were coming at some point, and Ralph would likely bring back his own group of adventurers. We were racing against time now. I needed to shift my dungeon, give it new twists, turns, traps, minions.
My stairs and passages grew longer while the vents expanded until even Von Dominus would be able move through, hunched over. The Pretzel hollowed itself out, and I sucked in the essence, widening the altars. I continued mining the delicious essence until my total reached 7,000.
I didn’t want to carve out new rooms before I’d perfected the existing ones, so I went to work on renovations. Pillars erupted from the ground of the First Floor, stretched to the ceiling, and carved themselves with the same demonic patterns as the rest of Zagorath. I modified the entrance by refashioning the archway with sculptures of skulls. The detailing was simple to create after seeing so many corpses inside my dungeon, and I used a mixture of human and half-orc bones while modifying the thorns so they were even larger than the entrance’s previous iteration.
The antechamber’s structure didn’t require any modification, but I adjusted the Bladed-Fan so that the blades were bigger and heavier. Then I reinforced the trap itself so it had enough force to hurl the cleavers into unwitting adventurers and cut through multiple enemies at a time. I moved to the final corridor separating the Pretzel from the First Floor’s chamber. The Ceiling and Floor spikes had been my most effective traps to date, but Ralph—and anyone he’d spoken to—would be expecting the spikes in their current locations.
I adjusted the insertion points of the traps, and a modified blueprint appeared in my mind. I chose to construct them with Troll Iron rather than Obsidian Alloy to preserve my essence, and then placed them in the walls so the spikes would blast out horizontally, turning the entire corridor into a new kind of deathtrap.
Zagorath built Wall Spike x4 (Troll Iron)
Cost: 3,200 Physical Essence
My mind then turned to the new trap I’d learned through my Vampiric Expertise. The Paralysis Ring. The blueprint was there—maddeningly close—but it needed Storm Essence to activate it, not merely Physical like my simple traps. I could feel the pathways throughout my gem, giving me access to it, but the crackling lines where the electric essence should’ve been was empty, calling out to be filled.
Could I siphon any of Abby’s Essence? Could two dungeon cores share essence and channel in tandem?
“Abby,” I said, “do you have any Storm Essence to spare?”
“I thought you absorbed all of it on the peak,” she said coyly.
“I’m serious. I can’t absorb it from anything else except you.”
She grew thoughtful. “I don’t know; I haven’t ever tried.”
Her consciousness drifted toward mine and entwined with it. Suddenly, a flood of crackling, blue-tinged essence blasted into my jewel.
Zagorath Absorbed Essence
+1,420 Storm Essence
Laughing with delight, I instantly re-routed it. I built a Paralysis Ring in the antechamber as a perfect way to immobilize any adventurers and force them to catch my Bladed-Fan with their face. Then, I constructed two in the corridor. The twin traps overlapped slightly, ready to freeze some hapless idiot in place, right in time for my halberd spikes to leap out, impale them, and crush them into jelly when they were dragged back into the wall. Perfect.
Zagorath Built Paralysis Rings x3
Cost: 1,200 Storm Essence
The width of a Paralysis Ring’s circumference dictated the power of the shock and the requirements for triggering the trap. I’d learned this from the knowledge I’d absorbed from Abby, and the largest one located in my antechamber required three adventures inside its ring before it would trigger. Then it would blast them with a live current and force their muscles to spasm. The other two, situated in the corridor, were smaller, and only needed one invader to step into their circumferences to trigger the effect. The smaller traps delivered a more powerful effect because of the greater concentration of power in the narrower rings. The Fan-Blade and Wall Spikes worked in tandem with the Storm traps, and the thought of the slaughter they would cause made my jewel flicker.
I really was breaking all the rules in the Sinarius Realms.
An idea blasted through my consciousness - the missing piece to the puzzle. Previously, my soul forge wouldn’t build anything except Infernal minions, but maybe acquiring Abby’s powers had changed that. I commanded Bertha to take the fairy effigy and place it within the soul forge’s open hand.
The last of my Storm Essence rocketed through my dungeon, making the black walls tremble with anticipation before it lanced into the soul forge. The divine sigils lit up a bright, brilliant blue, and I watched in astonishment as the forge instantly consumed the tiny effigy that Alaxon had left behind, sending the organic blueprint of the tiny creatures straight to my consciousness.
Zagorath gained spawnable minions!
Storm Sprite
Core: Storm
Rarity: Common
Essence Cost per minion: 25 (Storm)
I summoned a single Storm Sprite and studied the creature as it floated above my soul forge, glowing blue. It was a tiny, almost insect-like pixie-creature, probably no bigger than Von Dominus’s thumb. Tiny wings like a dragonfly kept it in the air, and a crackling reserve of Storm Essence hummed inside its body, ready to be unleashed through eight pairs of little legs. My guess? They latched onto adventurers, electrifying them.
I poured the rest of the Storm Essence into the forge, spawning seven more sprites. Five went to the antechamber, zipping into the vents, and I left the last three of them in the Pretzel, tucked up in the curving passages by the side-altars.
“Wow. That actually worked,” Abby muttered in disbelief.
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” I told her, shaking my mental head in disbelief. “This is incredible. The next pack of adventurers won’t know what hit them.”
Abby’s consciousness pulsed with happiness, her jewel flickering a bright azure. “I suppose you’ll be spending your Soul Essence now.”
My entire reserve of Soul Essence was swirling, shining gold, brimming with power, and it needed channeling.
“I wish I knew where to—” My jewel brightened. “You know what I can use Soul Essence for, don’t you?”
“I do. You can evolve your champions.”
“I was wondering when I’d get the chance to do that.”
“I’ve never seen an evolution,” Abby said. “I’m excited to watch.”
“Not as excited as I am to do it. But there’s one other question I have—what did you use your Soul Essence for?” I asked.
“I extended my avatar’s timer.”
“How long do you have?”
“Twenty hours,” Abby replied smugly. “It was the only thing I ever used Soul Essence for.”
“Like I said earlier, I charged a high price to enter my depths. Not all dungeons are ruthless murderers. We evolve and adapt, but we always profit. That is the way of a dungeon. You’ll learn in time, young one.” Her jewel strobed playfully at the name she
’d given me.
We’d slept together once, and now she was more than happy to tease me. I couldn’t help but feel a glow of appreciation for her. She was comfortable here, with me, in Zagorath. And, if our earlier conversation was any indication, she trusted me.
I wouldn’t let her down. Or my champions.
It was time to evolve them.
Soul Essence spiraled through my edges, ready to be released into something new. Using old gaming terminology, it would’ve been the closest thing to experience points I’d seen up until now. Recalling my champions and their evolution paths, I reached out with my mind and found Puck. He was sweeping in and around the shining claws of the soul forge, his whole body flooding with seemingly limitless energy. I touched his mind, and he answered immediately.
“What does the master desire?”
“You’ve served me well, Puck, and our spoils have given me the power to transform you into something better, stronger, and far more potent.” I thought about my choices. “Lilith has decided to gift you with a choice of two transformations, in order to better serve Zagorath. You can become a Lava Imp, or a Shade.”
Puck halted, his mind unusually thoughtful as he perched on an outstretched thorn of the soul forge. “What does the Master desire?”
Zagorath wasn’t designed to deal with lava, not yet. I’d need time and careful consideration before I started hurling any kind of molten rock over my floors and walls, even if it was more offensively viable.
“Will the Shade still be able to use shadow-spheres?” I assumed the imp would know about his evolved form but he might have known as little as me.
“Yes, Master. There was a Shade who lived among my tribe a few centuries ago, and it was said that his shadow-spheres were the largest and most powerful ever seen.”
“That pleases me,” I said.
Puck’s shadow-spheres were one of the dungeon’s greatest offensive weapons, spreading over wounded adventurer and turning even a minor scratch into a hellishly painful experience. Again and again, Puck had proven that he worked better as a mobile shock-trooper.
“What else do you know of the Shade?” I asked the imp.
“It is a master of the shadows. I’m afraid I know little else.”
“You’ve told me more than enough to make a decision. Your speed, stealth, and Infernal magic have served me well. If I can increase their potency, your ability to serve Zagorath by slaying those who invade us will increase tenfold. The shadows suit you best, Puck, as they did when we first met.”
I felt his whole mind flush with pride. “It will be my honor, Master.”
I gathered the Soul Essence and opened the floodgates, blasting him with the shimmering golden lifeforce. The moment it touched him, it twisted and morphed his form. Instinct—or, perhaps, the invisible, clawed hand of Lilith herself—shifted the path of the essence. Under the new influx of shimmering power, Puck began to change. His short, squat body lengthened, flesh and bones curling to accommodate the transformation. My champion’s black-grey skin deeped, until he was almost the shade of the soul forge itself.
Bone-white claws lengthened, and I watched in fascination as his wings expanded outwards, becoming almost the same size as his body. They curled behind him, razor-sharp blades of bone jutting from the skeletal fingers wrapped in leathery flesh. His arms and legs extended, too. His face became less pig-like, and took on an almost human visage while his blood-red eyes flashed with hellish excitement. The last of the sparkling gold energy flowed around him, before he breathed it in. Then his consciousness shifted—the relentless energy was still there, but it was now more agile, focused, and less hyperactive.
Evolution. . . Success!
Puck the Infernal Imp successfully evolved into a Shade!
Shade
Name: Puck
Core: Infernal
Rarity: Magic
Possible Evolutions: 2 (Ifrit, Greater Shade)
When Puck’s voice touched my consciousness again, it’d utterly changed. The high-pitched tone had been replaced with something rougher, deeper, and crackling, like slate breaking underfoot. “Ah, Master. You honor me.”
“I reward those who serve me well,” I told him. “Scout the mountain and report any movement.”
“When I return, shall I shout from the stairs again?” he asked sarcastically. “In case you’re busy with the troll? Or this new core clinging to your mind, like a snail to its shell?”
Abby’s gem flared in indignation, but I just chuckled.
“Not tonight,” I told him. “Go forth, Champion.”
I looked over him, and I couldn’t help but admire just how much more terrifying he looked—far more fitting to my darkness-drenched halls of volcanic stone than a bowling ball with wings.
“You let your minions sass you?” Abby asked.
“They’re my champions,” I replied, “and banter is healthy.”
As Bertha entered the First Floor, Puck took to the air and vanished up into the newly-widened vents.
Bertha’s mouth dropped. “Was that… Puck?”
“Yes,” I answered from my jewel. “The essence of the adventurers has the potential to make my champions stronger than even they could imagine.”
Bertha’s eyes widened as she realized what I had in store for her.
“Yes, Bertha. You’ll also be getting an upgrade.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“The War Troll,” Bertha said immediately. “I’ve heard tell of the greatest warriors of my people. They were gifted with incredible wrath by a dungeon that made them capable of slaying legions. My use to you, Master, is in speed and handling weapons, not raw power and armor. The Cave Troll is a mighty creature, but it would not serve my function to you.”
Bertha might as well have read my mind.
I was a little worried that the beautiful half-troll’s appearance might become more like a troll, but I needed her to be stronger. The loss of her good looks would be a worthy sacrifice if it meant a more powerful champion.
Power rushed through me as I grasped the Soul Essence and poured it into Bertha. Her body tightened as the gold energy flooded from the floor under her. Her purple tattoos blazed bright, flooding the antechamber with a visceral amethyst. A moan of pure ecstasy fled from my champion’s chest as I waited for the physical changes that had shifted and changed Puck.
The half-troll’s skin shimmered, and her tattoos lengthened, becoming more thorned as they etched themselves deeper into her flesh. Her powerful form grew less muscular, more refined and angular. She had always been beautiful, but now she was a picture of feminine beauty. Yet her purple eyes still carried a lethal and cunning edge.
Evolution. . . Success!
Bertha the Hell Troll successfully evolved into a War Troll!
War Troll
Name: Bertha
Core: Infernal
Rarity: Magic
Possible Evolutions: 2 (Black Troll, Blood Troll)
The gold light faded, and the last of the Soul Essence flowed free of my core. My champion took a long, deep breath, and then opened her eyes. They were alight, her irises shining like gems. She rolled backward to her feet with a slick agility I’d never seen before. She stretched her neck, and I heard a rippling crackle of pops as she loosened her shoulders.
Bertha flexed her hands, and the muscles in her forearms striated. Despite the increase to her size, she was still attractive. She produced a familiar bloodthirsty grin as she took up her poleaxe, rotating it so fast that it turned into a blur. She spun it again and again, from hand to hand and around her body.
Bertha allowed the weapon to still by her side. “Thank you, Master.”
“You’re welcome. I like your new moves.”
“They’re not the only ones I’ve learned.” She took a step forward, and then cartwheeled through the air without so much as a hand on the ground. Her weapon whirled around her, repeating patterns that would have required years of practice, but her evolution granted her them in a
second. She continued the masterful display of fighting skills that I’d never seen before, in a game or the world I’d left behind.
I stirred the Hellbats and the Sprites into a frenzy, and they swooped down from the vents. Their screeches filled with chambers of Zagorath with a hellish din that reverberated off my walls. Bertha halted and looked up as the minions swirled around her. I willed them to pick up the pace, and they raced through the cavernous spaces before I extended my consciousness and settled them down. I felt a tickle of almost flirtatious energy, and then turned my focus to Abby.
“What do you think?” I asked as her consciousness danced around mine.
I imagined her shaking her head as awe colored her voice. “It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this before. You’re so new, and yet…” Her voice faded, and her avatar slid into existence beside one of the brand-new pillars of the First Floor.
Finding Von Dominus, I summoned him and left behind the omnipresence of Zagorath to possess his mind. I stepped off the impressive new dais and strolled toward her. The storm avatar’s pale fingers tracked the glittering sable patterns of the newly-forged obsidian.
I smiled at her. “This enough to change your mind about Infernal Dungeons?”
“I don’t trust Lilith,” Abby said, turning her eyes to me. “But I trust you.”
“Funny what a little roll on a mountaintop can do, isn’t it?”
Her skin went a bright red, but her wonderful coral mouth curved into a shy smile. “It’s not just that. Having seen how fast you can move, learn, adapt. . .“ Her eyes lingered on mine. “That kind of power must be intoxicating.”
I moved closer, feeling my blood warming as our gaze deepened, turning into something else entirely. The charm of my elf continued to surprise me. Back at the beginning, when I’d wanted to play something charismatic, I hadn’t thought he’d be so well-suited for seduction. But Abby couldn’t take her eyes off me. She was drinking me in, and I reached out with my mind, almost instinctively. My power reached into her gaze and touched her consciousness through my avatar. Her mind was slippery, constantly shifting, and difficult to grasp with my own. Instead of continuing to pry, I removed my power.