That his personal Fairy was actually a dungeon fairy.
Leaning back in his chair, he cast the control spells for the dungeon and pushed himself through into the dungeon sense.
“Ryker,” Charlotte said immediately. “Rob is escaping from Dungeon. He has with him a chest full of what I assume is information for Lauren.”
“Kill him. Immediately. And when you’re done, bring his head back to me. I wish I had a dungeon core ready to trap his soul in. Torture him for years,” Ryker sent back, his entire mind locked into sudden rage.
“Ryker… my lord king… I apologize but I think this would be a bad idea,” Charlotte said, her presence undiminished in the face of his rage, but her tone gentle.
“Why?”
“Because the rest of Lauren’s entire intelligence team is dead. They were exterminated to a man by the church. Only Rob remains. Should he fall, I believe Lauren will suffer from a lack of information.”
“I don’t care. Kill him anyways.”
“As you command, my lord king.”
Ryker frowned, his teeth grinding into each other. Lauren needed to know what had happened here. If anything, she needed to know about the lord of the north more than the champions.
If the lord in the north was sending envoys throughout the whole of Dale, it wasn’t good for anyone.
“Wait, Charlotte. Let him go. Make sure he actually gets outside of the dungeon range safely as well,” Ryker said finally.
“Of course, my lord king. I’ll take care of everything.”
Strange way to address me. She never put on honorifics before, did she?
Disconnecting himself from the spell, he brought himself back into the room.
Arria was already gone, and Meino was the only one in the room with him.
“I told Arria to leave unless she wanted to take care of your needs as a concubine,” Meino said, leaning over him.
“Ah… okay? I don’t think a wisp could satisfy that kind of desire, by the way. And why so insistent?”
“She is a Fairy. She can choose her form as she sees fit. As to why I’m pushing for this, it’s because you always feel better afterward. I could groom you again in the meantime?”
Ryker sighed and looked down at the table.
Leaning to his left side, he began to call up a projection atop the table. Dungeon as it existed right now.
Buildings, streets, and debris made of light began to take shape. The city was a ruin. Little stood after the church soldiers had gone through it.
He doubted there were many citizens left that lived as well. Soon it would be truly a ghost town. With only the dead bodies of its former citizens inhabiting it.
My poor city.
On some level, Ryker felt responsible for it. Responsible and saddened.
Then a plan blossomed in his mind. One he liked very much.
It’d take time to accomplish fully, but it’d provide him with the resources he needed to continue to grow the dungeon.
A way to strike back at the church. Maybe, just maybe, a way to rebuild Dungeon in the future, too.
Settling into his chair, Ryker went back into his control spell.
With a flash of magic, he claimed the whole of Dungeon as part of the dungeon. All of it with not a single inch, all the way to the palisade walls, not falling under that command.
Everyone in the ruined city probably felt the immediate change as well.
One couldn’t be in a dungeon and not know it.
He started with the inn, and rebuilt it.
Then he started the cleaning. He sent a very high-level group of Hobs, Minos, and Gnolls out.
They cleared the inn of anyone classified as an enemy. Citizens of Dungeon were given assistance or ignored. Depending on their need.
Anyone associated with the church was attacked.
With each few kills, Ryker summoned another of his cleaners.
They began to work cleaning Dungeon. The plan was to go street by street, getting rid of everyone who didn’t belong. Objectively, they would be chased out or killed.
None were allowed to remain.
As he spawned in the third group and sent them out, he started to refashion the areas that were cleared.
He built the cleared area around the inn into a zone. He set the inn as the center point, and lodged a dungeon core underneath it.
To each zone, a core, to each core, a fairy.
Each fairy will be responsible for that zone and its upkeep.
Thus, we can control a city, without having to do it all ourselves.
Satisfied, Ryker started to change things. He built towers, loaded them with choke points, floors to be battled for, and clear mini-dungeons within the zone.
He wanted this to be a sprawling complex.
And when the city was cleaned out, he planned on closing all entrances up but one.
Then he’d move the original wings to be accessed from that entry.
He’d have to move the military camp to outside the city, but that fit his storyline nicely anyways.
All the wings would be reopened, and this would become the single largest dungeon he’d ever heard of.
“It’s impressive,” said Wynne. “I can see the scope of it already. I’m intrigued, and excited, my king.”
Blinking once, Ryker turned his head to find Wynne beside him. She was dressed splendidly in a dress he hadn’t seen her in before.
She was full sized and looking as if she’d dressed up for him.
Meino continued to groom him, her tongue working at the side of his head. Her wide and abrasive tongue shifted through his hair.
“I’ll put together a short list of names of those who are ready for an area to control. I’ll need to push my plans for the best of the Imps up as well so they have a chance at gaining a control area. They’ll begin serving you today as your personal three person company,” Wynne clarified.
“Good. Send me six of them, instead of three. I’ll put them through their paces. Send me six of your best Fairies who you want to move up as well. I’m going to use them until they break, or earn a core,” Ryker said.
Meino pushed his head lightly with her mouth as she lipped at something in his hair. Then immediately resumed grooming him.
Doing his best to ignore the Minotaur, and the fact that Wynne didn’t seem to even notice, he turned back to the table. There was a time limit pressing in on him.
The church wasn’t going to take this laying down. They would attack.
He’d have to be ready. If it meant burning up a few Fairies and Imps who couldn’t handle the stress, so be it.
“Before you ask, Claire met with Chadwick, and left with him. They both escaped our range before we could have them eliminated without endangering the core itself.”
“Mm. I assumed that was the case. And the core is fine now?”
“Yes. I repaired it, stabilized it, and reinforced it.”
“Great. You and I will be having our conversation about the rules later today. You’ll be honest with me, show me all, and tell me everything. Or I really will pull your wings off,” Ryker said, meaning every word.
Wynne’s face looked worried for a moment, then she bowed her head to him.
“Yes, my king,” she said, remaining bent at the waist. “I’ll give you everything.”
“Stand up, unless you want me staring down your cleavage? Now… I think we should really set to work,” Ryker said.
Lifting his left hand, he began to prepare a call to arms for Tris and entire company of Fairies.
There was a particular ugly holdout of church troops near the temple of the Fallen Paladin. They had apparently retreated there with the remains of their champion and were attempting to access the temple.
He looked forward to watching them die.
Wynne stood up and then reverted to her smaller size, fluttering in close to his side. This time, she somehow managed to shrink her clothes down as well.
A smile spread across her teeth, rev
ealing her too white teeth.
Meino leaned over the right side of his chair, momentarily stopping her grooming of him, and watched as Tris was summoned into being down the road from the thrown together fortifications.
“Clean this group out, then work the city. Capture those you can, and take them into the dungeon proper. Kill who you can’t. Do well, and I’ll reward you personally with those two cores you want. Go,” Ryker commanded.
“I hear, and live to serve, my lord king,” Tris said, immediately falling into action.
Ryker was going to give life back to Dungeon. Through the blood and souls of others.
After that, save Dale, and Lauren.
“Ah, there is one other thing,” Wynne said.
“Hm?”
“Claire’s pregnant. The others aren’t.”
“Ah,” Ryker said, his mind going blank.
Thank you, dear reader!
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If you enjoyed this book, try out the books of some of my close friends. I can heartily recommend them.
Blaise Corvin- A close and dear friend of mine. He’s been there for me since I was nothing but a rookie with a single book to my name. He told me from the start that it was clear I had talent and had to keep writing. His background in European martial arts creates accurate and detail driven action segments as well as his world building.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Corvin/e/B01LYK8VG5
John Van Stry- John was an author I read, and re-read, and re-read again, before I was an author. In a world of books written for everything except harems, I found that not only did I truly enjoy his writing, but his concepts as well.
In discovering he was an indie author, I realized that there was nothing separating me from being just like him. I attribute him as an influence in my own work.
He now has two pen names, and both are great.
https://www.amazon.com/John-Van-Stry/e/B004U7JY8I
Jan Stryvant-
https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Stryvant/e/B06ZY7L62L
Daniel Schinhofen- Daniel was another one of those early adopters of my work who encouraged and pushed me along. He’s almost as introverted as I am, so we get along famously. He recently released a new book, and by all accounts including mine, is a well written author with interesting storylines.
https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Schinhofen/e/B01LXQWPZA
Runner is watching.
Dungeon Deposed Page 39