by Dave Qymlore
"Interesting. I would still like to stay cautious for now anyway, at least until I learn everything there is to know about my new role, and this place. I'm going to look at my minion spells now." He brought them up on the looking glass.
Level 1 Minions
Pink slime
Bat swarm
Creeper vine
Stone goblin
Mimic
"Five to choose from. Let's see what I have on offer then..."
Pink Slime
A ball of slime, the color pink.
Bat Swarm
A swarm of small but vicious blood sucking bats.
Creeper Vines
This innocuous vine grows across the floor or wall of an area and tangles itself around anyone who passes too close by. It may only be a plant, but this particular floral fiend has the strength to crush or strangle a man if left unchecked.
Stone Goblin
Resembling a living goblin only in approximate size, this minor type of golem is relatively slow and lacks dexterity, but it can take a serious knocking before it dies. That's the benefit of being made from stones.
Mimic
The mimic appears as an ordinary object, often a treasure chest, possibly full of unknown loot that is meant to entice dungeon diving parties. Once someone touches the mimic, is takes on its true form—and will not let go until either it or its prey dies.
Lothar had never read anything else before, apart from some basic words and even more basic sentences that he'd been coached to remember in the first place. "Who wrote these descriptions? This is all very strange to me still."
"I could not tell you that, sir. There are rumors that a mad wizard had part in some of the details. There are some ... odd entries that I've found, while others seem very ordinary. Are you ready to try your hand at doing what a dungeon core does best?"
"I think that sounds like a good idea. And let's hope that goblin horde does show up, and with all of their filthy friends. I think one of my first steps as the new dungeon core should be to give the place a fresh coat of paint, goblin blood color."
Harmony seemed thrilled at the idea of bloodshed, which was both arousing and maybe slightly disconcerting. Lothar wondered how far that passion for slaughter might extend; did human beings count as fair sport to her? But it would be hypocritical to judge her for that, since Lothar had killed his own share of men, and some women, in the military. She said, "You can observe the dungeon proper on the looking glass and cast your traps and minions just like you did with the move rock spell.
"That sounds easy enough." Lothar brought up a display of the dungeon. The real entrance was far removed from where he'd fallen down into the temple. No one was ever meant to be able to reach that area he guessed, unless they were a follower or one of Harmony's dead sister guardian fairies. "Wouldn't it be easier to just close off the dungeon like I did with the move rock spell and only open it when necessary? It looks like you had plenty of space for supplies, and there are living quarters for a lot of people in the temple city. Why risk having an accessible entrance at all?"
"You need souls to recover your lifeforce and also to gain experience in levels. If no dungeon divers come here, you'll most likely stagnate. Plus, you will want to be able to attract new followers, and no one likes being sealed in a veritable tomb now, do they? That's a whole other topic that you will need to learn about, but perhaps we can save that for one of our next quests? There is still much for you to discover in your new domain."
"Alright, that sounds fair enough to me. Let's focus on giving these goblins a run for their money for now. I'm actually excited about the idea of watching them face some of these traps, and getting to see what those minions area capable of."
The entrance was on the surface, where there were ruins above that looked to have once been an impressive structure made from heavy stone slabs. Apparently that was not protected from the magical explosion like the underground sections had been. It was probably an addition that was put there by mortal followers or one of the dungeon cores then.
The entrance went down in the form of a cavelike opening. It was wider than the regular passageways that lead between many of the other areas, although Lothar hadn't given everything the time to take in all the details yet. The map of his whole domain was a little daunting. "Since I can't make abundant defenses with my current amount of lifeforce and level, I'll focus on the entrance. Does that sound like a good idea?"
"It does to me, honey," replied to the enthusiastic fairy. "Tell you what, how about I go freshen up, take a bath, maybe get some clothes back on? I don't want to interfere with your first dungeon plan. You're the man, after all."
"Sounds good," replied Lothar with partial interest in what she was saying. He was the man here though, and it made sense that he should do this without distraction or worrying about what his servant thought no matter how much experience she had. He was going to be the best dungeon core yet, so there was little point copying what previous cores had done. They were dead for a reason—because they were inferior. He felt good. He felt smart. He felt in charge.
"Let's do this," he told himself. The first thing he did was cast a falling rock trap just inside the entrance of the dungeon. That would be practically impossible to detect without actually coming into the dungeon a little, and it would be a good way to get some easy kills before intruders could realize this was more than just a regular cave in the hills. That left him with only slightly less than half his lifeforce, which the looking glass kept track of for him so he would not need to remember.
This entrance lead downward on a very gentle slope that went more or less in a straight line. It curved very slightly but not enough to completely block sight from the entrance at any point. Lothar placed a spike pit trap farther down, well enough away from the entrance that no one would be able to see it unless they came fully into the dungeon. By then, they were in his domain. How he had around 4/10 of his lifeforce left.
That passage went along for quite awhile, moving downward until it reached the true start of the dungeon. There was then a large opening in the form of a cavern. It was covered with moss and had running water, complete with small underground plants. There was no light at all, but Lothar was able to see everything as though he had some uncanny ability to see in the dark perfectly. He could feel that he was attached to everything in his domain, which clearly explained why mere darkness didn't hold him back from knowing where everything was. It was invigorating to have such a strong connection to so much.
This cavern would serve as the perfect place for intruders to regroup, but that wasn't something Lothar wanted to happen. On the other hand, he knew that throwing too many perils at them too quickly would probably scare away all but the most veteran and well-equipped groups. That could mean that he would attract too much force too quickly, if survivors were scared away to go off and tell others about the guarded underground place they'd found. Where there were traps, there was surely something worth protecting. That could spell trouble for him while he was still such a new dungeon core.
No, he needed to maintain a careful balance to ensure that people were enticed to keep exploring, thinking they were going to be able to best this dungeon when they were unwittingly unmatched for what lay hidden ahead. He decided to give the illusion that this was a safe place, but insert some backup offense in case he decided to launch an attack against anyone who was busy coming up with a plan that could prove too effective.
"I think I'll leave this room as it is..." he mumbled to himself contemplatively.
After that large nature filled area there were several passageways, more like naturally carved tunnels really. This place had clearly been hewn from the rock deep beneath the surface over a long time, and it looked like manual tools were used to do it. He couldn't imagine a powerful spell caster like a dungeon core making something so random. There were lots of clear opportunities for intruders to wonder off and maybe even become lost forever. That didn't seem ideal, but his realm was curre
ntly like a ghost town, so it wasn't like anyone could cause much trouble unless they somehow got into his core room. Even then, he could use his limited offensive spells, or just take them on with the help of his immortal fairy slut.
For good measure, he placed some pinks slimes far along the winding tunnels so slow down anyone who did break away from the main path. He wouldn't have admitted it, but the expansive subterranean area was starting to all look the same, and he really did want Harmony's help. So, he waited and studied the looking glass while she was gone.
"Ah, there's my little whore," he said as she returned. His balls had started to feel full again already, and he enjoyed little pet names that degraded her. However, she seemed to be enthralled at being called a whore.
"All yours," she replied with a seductively sweet smile. Harmony had returned wearing a flowing red dress and dainty pink shoes that resembled something like a dancer he'd once seen had worn. They had long ribbons that wrapped around her firm ankles and full calf muscles to finish at a bow. The dress was silken in appearance and clung to all her curves while still freely flowing behind her as she moved. "May I look at your progress, master?"
"Be my guest."
"Hmm, I like how you have taken care not to use all of your lifeforce right away. I've had masters who were hasty and seemed to think they would somehow have an inexhaustible supply of power. They did not fair well when push came to shove."
"There is so much ground to cover, so many variables. And I don't know what this goblin horde might consist of. The green-skinned bastards are stupid and reckless, almost impossible to strategize against in many cases. I have faced them many times."
"I think it's most likely they will gather in the large area filled with flora after the main entrance."
"Yes, it seems like the perfect place to regroup and plan their next move after dealing with the entrance passageway. But then, I'm worried they will split up. There are so many ways they could go."
Harmony's beautiful face became stern with concentration. "From my experience, any scouts sent out will return to the main group if they encounter enemies. The pink slimes you have placed in these lesser tunnels were a great idea. It will also prevent anyone from sneaking through without notice."
"And what they will be looking for is treasure, in the throne room. Which is ... where I died so stupidly. That is just outside the great doorway," Lothar said with thought. He had been struggling to wrap his head around where he was relative to where he'd originally fallen through and then died. Outside were the great steps, which lead up to that throne room where he'd crawled around in the dark. He could see, and feel due to his connection with the area all around him, that the throne room was high up above an underground courtyard type of area."
"It's that courtyard area they'll be trying to get to, no doubt. From there, I assume they will want to find a way to scale up to the raised throne room. They will be plenty occupied once they see all of the gold, rare stones, and other artifacts in that area. But I assume they will explore the stairs that lead to this chamber from there. What would happen if a strong enough intruding party should breach the stone slab that closes off this core chamber from the raised temple area?"
"Why, we would have to kill or be killed," responded Harmony without a second of thought. "And I would rather die than let anyone harm you."
"But you are immortal. And you still haven't told me how your sister guardians managed to get themselves killed while you live."
"I could tell you now, but I fear we are short on time at this point. Is it enough to say that we were taken by surprise from a very great party of intruders? I was not here at that time, having been sent out on an important quest by my master at the time." Again, tears were starting to pool in those pristine eyes, and it was too much for Lothar to bear to let them fall as tear drops.
"No, we will deal with that story when we have the time. Don't upset yourself. Let's focus on the fight ahead." He put his arm around her, and realized that the moment he touched that perfect body, his cock started to stand at attention. "I think I might need to put on some clothes too," he said with a chuckle. "I would hardly like to face any enemies with this thing bouncing around the place."
"However lovely that thing of yours is, I think I have to agree, sir," Harmony said with laughter as she grabbed it and gave the shaft a few quick strokes just to tease him. "But there will be so, so much time for that sort of fun."
"Now, the fun is going to be in the form of killing!" Lothar said, excited by the erotic sensation of the fairy's slim, smooth fingers grasping his cock.
"Just think of what you would like to wear, and it shall be so. No lifeforce is necessary for such simple magic, not for you."
"Oh, really?" Lothar thought about it, and he decide to don attire that was in keeping with his status as a god.
"Wow ... you are more and more impressive by the minute in my mind," Harmony said with gushing adoration. She dropped to her knees before her master, her god.
Lothar had thought about what he wanted to wear, and suddenly he was wearing it: a black suit of plate male with spiked codpiece and shoulder guards, and a double horned helmet resembling the head of a bull-like demon he had seen in the throne room.
"You look like the demon lord Ghafuk, depicted in the throne room. I assume that was your intention?"
"It certainly was. Is that appropriate? I don't know the story of those images."
"He was a great warrior, uncaring slayer of men, women, and children, and possessor of an unquenchable lust for sex with virgins and whores alike."
"In other words—perfect," Lothar said with a dire smirk that Harmony could not see now that he was wearing his helmet. Next, in his hand appeared a battle axe, one of his favored weapons when he wasn't required to hold a shield and spear within his ranks. For close quarter combat like he was hoping to encounter at some point, this was what he wanted. "I have no intentions of just sitting around watching my traps and minions be my only defense. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid, but I do plan to get my blade wet sometimes."
Harmony lowered her eyes and seemed like she wanted to tell him something. He asked, "What?"
"Oh ... let's discuss that later, sir. Besides, your blade will not be the only thing getting wet, trust me. Would you please do something for me, my god?"
"What would you like, whore?"
"Will you please sodomize me in the throne room, just like the demon Ghafuk would want?"
Lothar chuckled. "Well, I've never been a religious man, but I think I can make an exception and honor such a great entity. But first, I want to place some minions outside of the lower throne room area." After he had done just that, Lothar grabbed Harmony by her long, silken hair, and he pulled her along. The stone slab moved aside at his thought and he dragged her up the great stone steps where he had fallen to his death not long ago. Once they were in the throne room, he pushed the fairy up against the large golden throne and lifted up her flowing red dress. She wore no underwear, and he would have been mad if she was.
11
The rag-tag group of escaped slaves huddled together in a shivering mass to brace themselves agains the cold night air blowing in from the open waste land they found themselves in. The low mountains and ruins did offer some protection, but there were no complete rooms still intact. It looked like it was once a large meeting place, like a council building in a city or perhaps a temple. Given it was too far away from anything to be a practical part of a city, it had probably been the latter.
A large right-angle, where two crumbled walls met, still had a portion of what was once a roof. So, at least if it rained they would be able to stay mostly dry and avoid catching their death of cold. Of course, the weather was not the foremost worry on any of their minds.
"What was that sound?" asked one of the slaves, a younger woman with a black eye. She'd probably been in one of the sex quarters used by the lower ranking guards, or possibly even the workers. They didn't treat their sex toys with care,
exactly.
"What the fuck do you think it was?" bellowed Ronel back at her.
"Shhh," said Feyra sternly. She was growing tired of trying to keep everyone quiet and hidden. It was even more difficult to do without making noise herself just to tell them off every few minutes. She sighed and took in a deep breath to calm and center herself before whispering, loud enough so everyone could still hear her, "If you don't want to end up a meal for the wargs, stop talking and stay as still as you can."
"Do as she says," added Ged with a low, deathly serious tone in his voice. He was equally as pissed off.
"They're going pick up our scent, they probably already have," said another of the women.
"We need to keep moving," said another. They were all of age, but not one of them would have been above twenty or so. Pretty women like these didn't keep their youthful beauty for long when they ended up slaves in the work settlements around these lands. The ones who got lucky were sold off to high end brothels or to be the private property of merchants and politicians, or other men of great means. Many still considered themselves lucky they weren't in the worst of the work camps, where life was guaranteed to be brutal and depressingly short.
They were all terrified, even the men, not that they would ever admit it.
Another sound shot through the night, this one impossible to mistake. Barking and snarling of beasts in the night that were not natural inhabitants of that harsh no-man's land, where living things tended to only pass through or die. It was a pounding hammer on the head of a nail, driven into their communal coffin: the sound of slaver wargs.
"We don't have any other choice," said Ged.
"Let's send one of these runts first. They haven't exactly made themselves useful the whole time we've been on the run," said Ronel with his trademark callousness. They were looking toward the back of the ruins, the part that pressed up close to the sharp incline created by the rocky mountain range that closed off that direction to them. "It's probably just an old mine anyway."