by Dave Qymlore
"I ... I don't know," said the scout. "I'm not going through those vines though."
"Well then, being a coward is just as good as making a decision like a man, is it? Alright, on we go then." They ran through the bats easily enough, which chased them partway into the next room but stopped after ten feet or so. They forced the slavers to run into the next area without checking properly for traps. Lothar could have kicked himself for not placing any in that area. Of course people would want to run from the bats. He'd even taken that into account by placing the creeping vines back there.
But those weren't the kind of trap that could quickly take out a large group unless they were activated in advance. The crawling nature of the vines was a clear clue about that. Besides, he did not want to spent any more of the tiny amount of lifeforce he still had. He was still proud of himself for what his meager dungeon had managed to do so far. He could only imagine what kind of wonderful things he would come up with in the future.
There was a long way to go for the slavers still. The only thing was, Lothar was too low on lifeforce to risk making more traps or minions now. All he could do was watch them move along the main passageways until they eventually found the people they had been hunting for. The scout didn't have any trouble tracking where Harmony had lead the slaves. They were that filthy and clumsy that they left a trail that even an apprentice scout could have picked up while half drunk on ale.
"They've gotten through all that I had," Lothar told Feyra eventually.
"What does that mean? Are they going to find my friends?"
"Let's take a look." He waved his hand. That action was more for dramatic effect than necessity. He could have just moved to a different window with his mind on the looking glass. "There they are," he narrated. The group of filthy, fearful slaves was huddled around before Harmony. There was a building behind them made of stone. The windows were large openings in the stone and so was the door. It looked like it had been carved in the rock itself.
"What is this? Some kind of underground house?" Feyra asked.
"Yes, but also, no." He made the view wider so that the entire city was visible. "There's more than just one building hewn from the rock beneath the surface."
"It's, but there are enough buildings here for a whole society. Are they occupied?"
"No, not yet. But perhaps you and your fellow slaves would care to be the first to live there for a long time? That is, ex-slaves."
"They're not free yet. Those three slavers are heading right toward my friends," said Feyra. "But ... surely they don't pose any threat now?"
"Let's see. I've been wondering what Harmony's capable of on her own," said Lothar. He knew it wasn't kind to use real people as part of this trial of his fairy. However, he was confident that she would prove herself a worthy warrior and protector. After all, she was a guardian.
"Can't you do something to stop them before they have a chance to hurt the rest of my group?" asked Feyra. "You're not going to use them like pawns to test your fairy are you?"
"Just be quiet and wait," Lothar told her. He was already getting pretty accustomed to being in charge. He didn't plan to justify himself to her.
As the slavers ran into the entrance to the city, they saw the beautiful fairy standing there with her sheathed short sword and leather armor. They were at first amazed by her pretty wings and sheer beauty. The magical torch was also impressive.
But they didn't pay much attention to her once they'd seen the group of slaves. "You!" screamed the leader without a moment of hesitation. He brandished his long knife and ran at them, followed by his two men. They had become more and more enraged as they'd wound their way through the empty passageways and chambers. The absence of any more dangers had allowed them time to work up their courage again.
It made them reckless. They underestimated Harmony just because she was gorgeous. Humans knew of fairies and they weren't an entirely uncommon site even in the peasant lands where Lothar had lived before being reborn.
"Die!" shouted the leader. His two men shouted their war-cries too as they all rushed forward to slaughter the slaves who were all women, apart from Ged. But he was at the back of the group and couldn't move forward in time to even attempt to protect his companions.
His eyes went wide with fear as the realization must have hit him that he was about to watch at least some of them be slaughtered.
Harmony drew her sword and lopped off the lead slaver's head in one motion. She spun in place, arm and blade extended out to her right. The lovely fairy didn't even turn her head or upper torso to look while she did it. The other two slavers stopped their charge and hesitated just feet from their new opponent.
"Hello, boys," she said with a smile.
"That's my girl!" shouted Lothar in the dungeon core chamber. He was not only impressed, but admittedly aroused by that display. The things he was going to do to his fairy whore later would be filthy and magnificent.
She made short work of the other two slavers. Then she continued to give a tour of the underground city where the runaways would be allowed to live if they chose.
All of them did choose to live there. Where else were they going to go? And no one had ever even tried to protect them before, not like that. They were only ever treated like property since becoming captives. Some of them had been owned by others since the day they were born.
18
Lothar spoke to Feyra. "Well then, it looks like your friends are going to live here with me. I can't say I blame them. It's not often freed slaves can have their very own homes made of fine stone. And I will provide everything else they need."
"They are free to leave if they want to though?"
"Of course. They didn't make any agreements. I'm not the slaver here," he replied.
"So I'll be alone if they leave..."
"Alone? What am I, chopped liver?" he said with a laugh. He was trying to cheer her up. "Look, I didn't want to admit it before, but I have no intention of actually forcing you to stay if you don't want to. That's not how I want to run things. You can stay here and enjoy a protected life with good food, drink, and shelter."
"But what do you require in return?" she asked.
"Well, you are all welcome to stay until you're healthy and strong again. It breaks my heart to see such lovely women all skin and bone like that. And that Ged man seems knowledgeable. He might come in use if he decides to stay.
"Stay? You didn't tell us what we have to give you in return if we stay?"
"Oh, just your devotion," said Harmony. The fairy had reappeared in the chamber behind them, having completed her task outside of it. She was still holding the bloody short sword like it was a prize she'd won at a fair. She closed her fingers around the flat of the blade and let the blood stick and unstick between them. "Oh, not to me. To my master, Lothar the dungeon core. He is the god of this subterranean realm after all."
Lothar had never considered that he might get himself some followers so quickly. "That does sound good," he said. "What do you say, Feyra?"
"Are you really asking what I want? I don't think anyone's ever cared before now." She looked like she was about to tear up. "If my friends are going to stay here, then I'll stay too. Like you said, I have nowhere else to go. And you have protected us so far."
Lothar remembered that he was not happy with his fairy for failing to tell him he was a captive himself. "Harmony. Why didn't you tell me I was unable to leave this chamber?" That was, after all, why she had gone in his stead to lead the runaways to the underground city.
"Because that's not the case, not entirely, sir." She was acting like a scolded child, but one who was only upset because they were being told off. She didn't seem to be remorseful about letting her master be mislead.
"Is there no way for me to get the hell out of this room, ever?"
"No, I mean, yes! There is! I wouldn't have let you think you could go and join the fight eventually otherwise. You look so handsome in that demonic armor after all. Why would I let you think a l
ie? Don't you trust me?" She was using her feminine charm to try to calm him down now. It was disarming, but Lothar was becoming accustomed to it.
"Alright then. How? When?" he asked impatiently.
"You only need to gain a spell that lets you teleport back and forth from this area. That will allow you to go anywhere within your magical range. You'll find there are endless possibilities for one with so much potential power as you, sir. Please trust me."
"Hmm. I suppose you haven't really given me any reason not to trust you yet. And that's good news. I would have loved to take apart a few of those slavers with my own sword though."
"There will be more intruders. There always is. And don't forget the goblin horde that spoke of planning a dungeon diving party. I really think they will come back eventually. It might be days, or weeks. Goblins are disorganized, after all."
"Yes, that's true. They're probably more busy arguing about who will get the biggest share of whatever loot they think they can find, instead of actually planning to assault my dungeon without being killed. And they will be killed, oh yes. Those green rats killed me! I'll have their heads and much worse."
"Oh, sir, you make me so wet when you talk like that!"
"And what about you, girl?" Lothar asked Feyra who was still standing aside and listening. She seemed very observant. Maybe she would have joined the conversation if she wasn't still nervous and unsure of her surroundings. Hopefully that shyness would fade. Judging from the way she was taking charge before being transported to the chamber room, she would prove to be a very enjoyable and challenging concubine.
"I agree with Harmony. I have to admit that you're rather impressive."
"Well then, let's get you out of those filthy clothes and into a nice bath. Harmony, get to it."
"Why don't you join us, sir?" asked the fairy. With a wave of her hand, a section of stone slide away and revealed a bed chamber that was attached to the larger dungeon core chamber. There was a large bath in there with clear, running water that let off steam as it flowed and bubbles.
"Yes!" cried Lothar as the three of them began to disrobe and head to the great stone bath.
Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did writing it. Do you want more? Don’t worry, there will be regular releases in the series.
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