“Let's get them,” said Selena. She started running forward and let out a war cry. It would've been useful if she could use her siren song without needing to be in water or around aquatic creatures to do so.
Kek ran forward as well, leaving Faye to do her own thing. He knew she could take care of herself and avoid danger.
“Just get out of the way if I tell you to!” shouted Faye after them. She was a lot more hesitant when there wasn't room to fly around freely.
Kek began to growl as he neared the group. The monsters had begun to run toward them two. Selena thrust her spear out into them, and it was soon met by muffled cry of pain and the sound of something hitting the floor. There was stumbling as well, most likely as the other monsters tried not to fall over their suddenly dead comrade. She pulled her spear back into her hand. That was when she suddenly tore her clothes off and presented her naked body with her arms outstretched at her sides, chest pushed out, and her hips thrust forward with her neck exposed. She began to sing even though there was no water. It was an eerie sound, almost like a siren, oddly enough. It wasn't like a person or creature singing, and it made Kek's mind feel like it was being pressed on by a giant rock.
“Kill them,” said Selena in between singing.
Kek didn't have to be told twice, but it took every bit of his will power not to stop and gawk at her highly erotic body. He ran past with his sword at the ready and charged at the hapless monsters. He slashed the short sword across the chest of a goblin and blood spattered out all about. Some of its innards started to spew forth as it hit the ground. Next, he brought the sword around again to stab the next shadowy figure. He put the sword through the thing stomach before he realized that he was staring into a mirror— it was a kobold, male, with blue just like his. There were several other kobolds, and they all had blue fur. He wondered if there were any other types in this dungeon, or if maybe he was related to these people. Had he just killed one of his brothers?
He had to put that kind of thinking out of his mind. It wasn't going to be at a pick and choose when he fought and when he made peace. All that mattered was fulfilling his destiny and doing what Hendrik had asked him to do.
“Come back now!” shouted Faye. Kek was glad that had been called back away from the other kobolds, so he ran so that Faye could cost her spell. The beam of magical energy hit the dungeon minions, and they started to writhe on the floor in agony. It was particularly hard to watch because several of them did so in the entrails and blood of their fallen comrades.
“Okay, finish them up, you two,” shouted Faye.
Selena stopped singing and ran forth with her spear. She began to stab at the throats of the monsters as they writhed around on the floor. It didn't seem to faze her in this latest that she was killing more helpless creatures.
Kek found it more difficult to do, especially because there were kobolds among them. And there were also cathards, particularly lovely cat creatures. Even the males had feminine qualities to them, and the females were very beautiful. He came up to the last of them that was breathing and was about to put a short sword through her heart, when the Fairy Spite spell suddenly wore off, and she stopped rolling around in helpless pain.
Looking up at him, she spoke. “Please…” was all she managed to say in her weakened state. She had her hands up to protect her upper torso and throat. Her fingers had claws on them and pads just like Kek's, and her fur wasn't entirely different either. But where he was blue, she was more of a golden color. “Please, don't kill me,” she said. “I don't want to be one of the dark lord's minions. I never wanted to be.”
Faye appeared beside Kek, floating in the air. She was surprised to see a living creature still there. She said, “I'm actually not detecting any evil from this one.”
Selena came up behind them. “You know something? If you can detect evil creatures so easily, why did you give me such a hard time when we first met? Are you going to take this poor creature and make her look into a dark mirror too before you believe that she can suffer and feel pain like all good creatures?” Selena was in a semi-furious state, which had no doubt been brought on by her bloodlust and sexual lust. She was still naked and didn't seem to show any signs of being about to put her clothes back on.
26
“Who are you?” the frightened cat woman said to them. And why are you not one of the dungeon lord’s minions if you are in his dungeon?” she said to Kek.
“He's come to save the other kobolds,” said Selena. It was a stupid thing to say, but she seemed to be aware of it and went silent.
“Well, we better hope that she really isn’t one of the dark dungeon lord’s minions!” shouted Faye. “Otherwise you're going to have to kill her because we can't let her leave and risk her running back to tell one of the boss monsters why we’re here.”
“Why would you try to save such savages?” asked the pretty cat woman. “Do you really believe that you can change the other kobolds? You must have been gone since you were young, otherwise you'd be just as evil of them. I wasn't born here, that's why I'm not like the others. But I have never been able to figure out a way to escape, so I'm forced to act like them, or risk being killed.”
“What's your name?” Kek asked. He was very interested in this new species that wasn't entirely different from his own. They seemed almost like a female version of his own species. They were even about the same size and had similar features, except that her head was rounder, and her ears smaller but also pointy. And, of course, she didn't have the dog-like muzzle, but a cute nose with delicate whiskers and the prettiest little lips. She also had orange tiger marks on her golden fur. She wore a cloth with a cord around her waist that covered her privates and her thighs to a degree. She had a similar type of cloth around her perky breasts, but it didn't leave an awful lot to his imagination, which he was glad for.
“If you have been here with them this whole time and are able to blend in among them, how can we to believe that you're not just as bad as them?” asked Selena
“It's true that I have lost many of my civilized ways. I even sometimes enjoy the primal instincts we give in to when I'm not being asked to go on raids to capture people who have found themselves in the dungeon. I can fight though,” she said. “Cathards are deadly warriors and are quick on our feet. Will you take me with you? I promise that I can help.”
“Well, like I said, she doesn't have any evil about her. And yes, I knew that you weren’t evil when we first met, Selena. But it didn't mean I liked you. I'm sorry…”
“It’s forgiven for now,” said Selena. “I suppose there's not much point dedicating myself to helping the both of you if I kill one of you to get even, is there?”
The beautiful cat stood up and picked up a hatchet from one of her fallen comrades, tucking it into her cord belt. “My name is Rita, she said. May I ask your names?” They exchanged names and continued on their way.
As they went on, Kek could not stop thinking about what Rita had told him. She would've probably seen the other kobolds a lot, and she seemed to think that they were all feral. He didn't know how he would ever convince them to go with him, or even get them to resist attacking him. He might not be able to rescue his people, so he was possibly risking everyone's life for no reason. This would probably be a good time to turn back, if he was going to at all. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was thinking about how Hendrik had urged him so strongly to go on this quest. And if the wise old druid thought that it could be done, that meant that it could be done. This still seemed like a very hollow victory despite all they had done.
Selena seemed both drawn in by the cat woman and repelled by her. She made it no secret that she wasn't a fan of the cathard. "So, Rita, tell me how it is your people came to be here. Were you just taken from outside somewhere?"
“I can assure you I didn't come here of my own volition. I detest this place,” replied Rita a little bit defensively. She was wise enough to know that she was being questioned for an ulterior motive.
>
Faye told them that there were a lot of areas of this dungeon where there was nothing. The large rooms and special areas were spotted beneath the surface of the world and all connected to make one incredibly massive dungeon. The dungeon proper, as she referred to it, was made up of the special areas, even though some of them were quite far from each other. Where they were at the moment was just a mass of tangled corridors leading in all directions, and it was only through her careful direction and sensory capabilities that they managed to avoid becoming lost. At least, she assured them that they weren't lost.
This gave Selena plenty of time to interrogate their new companion. “I just fail to see how you could have ended up here after you were already a grown adult.”
“Have you never heard of raids on innocent villages?” said Rita spitefully. It happens all the time, people are taken captive against their will and forced to go and become servants in a place they hate. That's exactly what happened to me.”
“And yet you say you are a capable combatant. How is it you been here so long and have not managed to escape?”
“I think we need to stop arguing amongst ourselves,” Kek said. He was becoming more confident with taking a leadership role. It was the only thing that seemed to be able to stop Selena from giving their newcomer a hard time. And it wasn't only because he found Rita incredibly attractive and was drawn in by how similar she was to his own people.
“You're saying that because you want to screw her,” said Selena with such complete lack of tact that caused the other two to stop and stare at her from moment with their mouths open.
“I really don't think that was appropriate to say,” said Fate. “Let's forget about that now, please? Can we try to remember that there might be wondering monsters around? There’s so much strange magic, that we can't rely on my senses to pick up evil before it reaches us. How about we keep our voices down to a low whisper and only speak if it's actually productive?” Faye was still comfortable being the leader when it suited her too.
“I think we’re coming up to a large open space, and I have no idea what's in there. Be prepared for anything, and keep hidden if you can. That means no bickering, all right?”
The siren seemed more willing to take directions from the fairy now that they had come to an agreement and stopped their fighting. And Selena seemed eager to gang up on the newbie rather than picking on everyone all at once.
As they walked into that area, they were met by fetid stench that could only be something particularly grotesque.
27
Kek wished he had something to cover his nose, but then that would make it difficult to breathe and detect things. “That stench…” he said quietly, feeling his stomach churn and rise up the back of his throat. He also hadn't eaten for some time, after finishing off the food he brought in his bag many hours ago. He hoped that it wasn't rancid, although kobolds were quite good about that sort of thing. Besides, he had the iron stomach perk.
There were greeted with something they hadn't seen since coming from the first levels of the dungeon. There were glowing mushrooms all around. They covered the walls and the ceiling and were all over the floor so thick that it was difficult to walk through them. It was like a forest of glowing mushrooms of all shapes and sizes and colors.
“Wow, pretty…” said Faye so quietly that Kek thought he might've been the only person to hear her. She was floating right beside him while Selena walked forward to investigate a little. Rita hung back, probably so she could stay away from the siren as much as possible.
“It's like a forest of mushrooms,” said the cat woman as she inched over to Kek and Faye. “I've never been here before, but there's probably good reason for that. This might look beautiful, but we have to be on our guard. When you come this far down into the dungeon you are likely to run into one of the big bosses.”
“The big boss? I thought the dungeon lord was the boss of this place,” said Kek. He realized they might have just entered the place where the final battle would take place.
“Oh yes, he's in charge of the dungeon. He is the lord after all, but he has what are basically lieutenants. If you're hoping to go deep enough to get your people back, we have to be prepared to go through hell.”
“I have a feeling not many monsters are as caring as our friend here,” said Faye, and she beamed at Kek pleasantly. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, and the warmth from her touch almost melted the kobold’s heart.
He thanked Faye “And my friend is right,” he said to Rita. “I really don't have anyone to help me except for the people in our party at the moment. If you would like, you can hide somewhere and wait for us to come back?”
Letting out a noticeable shudder, Rita shook her head and said, “And risk being recaptured and back where I was in a group of those savages? No, thank you. I'd rather face the dungeon lord himself if it means that I can get out of here.”
Kek wanted to say something about that being an option for Rita this whole time. He kept quiet, as he now knew that it often took the brave actions of others to encourage someone to stand up for their own rights. That's what had happened with Hendrik. He made a mental note of that and hoped it would resolve his courage, because he was sure to need it very soon. It seemed like this was going to be a very long and arduous quest instead of the short one that he had been anticipating.
As they were quietly talking and enjoying each other's company, now that the siren wasn't making Rita feel uncomfortable and she was letting her true colors and kindness show, there was a female shout.
“Selena!” yelled Kek, already running toward the area where the shout had come from. Many of these mushrooms were much larger than the ones that had been in the surface-level cave. As he ran along, he felt a thin layer of water on the rocky floor and realized why they were so big. They were growing in quite a decent amount of liquid, as far as mushrooms were concerned. Hopefully there would not be another river, because visions of those fishermen surrounding him still haunted his memories.
Kek was confronted by something he was instantly sure would his nightmares for the rest of his life. It was a giant snake, not like when he had seen one in the jungle. This one was heavily mutated and had an odd-shaped head that was much faster than usual. The mouth was even longer and wider. On its back, instead of just scales and a flat surface, were dozens of tentacles. These tentacles seemed to be a recurring theme that was most unnerving.
But the thing that he knew would haunt his nightmares was watching the thing square up against Selena. Her spear was already sticking out of its head, and it seemed to have done no damage.
He had arrived just in time to witness the final moment of Selena’s life. She stood there, practically limp, in the stance of someone who knew they were about to be killed and had already given up. With one giant chomp of the fat snake head, it crunched down on her. There was an audible crunching sound, and Selena screamed out in pain. Luckily the scream stopped almost as soon as it had begun. He hoped she was at least unconscious and unable to feel any longer.
Kek found himself once again glad that he was not able to cry. He was so fond of Selena and was hoping to get to know her better. There one thought that helped was that he knew, in his heart, that she had redeemed herself in the good that she had done. Praying to any god that would listen, he begged that Selena’s soul would be taken care of and not treated like an evil monster. Kek was nearing the thing just as it chomped down on Selena, and he decided to try his throwing dagger. He flung one, and it just deflected off the snake’s head, which was covered with those massive scales. Kek quickly threw another, and to his astonishment, this one stuck in the giant serpent’s eye. It then displayed just how terrifying it could sound if a snake were able to scream. The piercing sound made Kek's body shiver.
When the snake turned to bear down on him, moving much more quickly than he ever would've assumed, Kek knew that he was about to join Selena. Instead of charging him, however, the giant snake opened its mouth and released
a green cloud of gas that spread out into the area.
Kek struggled breathe as he inhaled the toxic-smelling fumes. All of his game mechanics disappeared. He also felt much less skilled. His short sword, which was in his hand, didn't feel as familiar or easy to move around as it had just second earlier.
He turned and ran, knowing that he was now even much more powerless against this mammoth of the creature. He dodged through the mushrooms, hoping to disappear and get away. But as the was about halfway to the door were his two friends were standing in complete shock and still unable to see exactly what had happened over the forest mushrooms, he started to collapse. The last thing he remembered was Rita running out from the entrance even though the snake was bearing down on top of them.
Rita dragged Kek to safety, and they managed to get through the entrance back where they had come from, just a split second before the snake was upon them. He had destroyed much of the mushroom forest by pushing a pathway. And as Kek was dragged into the much narrower passageway where the snake couldn't go, he saw across the other side of the giant space that they had a clear line to the next part of the dungeon.
After he managed to stand up with the help of Rita holding onto his arm, Kek thanked her. “I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't saved me.”
“I think you would be with our siren friend right now,” said Faye with tears in her eyes. “I hardly knew her for long, and we spent most of that time arguing about the stupidest things. This is awful!”
It was clear that muck fairies were not the people to count on when disaster struck, not if they were brought to tears, at least.
The very rocks began to rumble as the snake try to bash its way into the opening. “It might be able to follow us if it can squeeze through,” mumbled Kek in his semi-conscious state. He was surprised he was able to walk at.
Return to Dungeon_A Monster MC LitRPG Page 13