CONQUEST: The Dungeon Core Gambit Book One

by Antony W. F. Chow

  The crowd roared their approval and banged their hammers on the ground.

  Finally, the new wife released her husband and giggled at the silly, flustered look on his face. She grabbed his hand and pulled. "Come! Let's go inside for our wedding celebration!"

  Chapter 20

  Wedding Celebration

  Alethea pulled Sibalt through a stone wall.

  Sibalt was surprised to learn that the wall was an illusion! He turned his head left and right, and saw that he had entered a cavern. "How do you maintain the illusion? With Earth Work?" he asked.

  Iyelda chuckled. "Since you are now part of the Bulddinger Clan by marriage, I shall tell you. The Spirit of the Mountain helps us to maintain the illusion," she replied.

  "The Spirit of the Mountain?" the dungeon core echoed.

  Someone appeared in front of them. It was a dwarfess but Markos sensed the tremendous magical power within her. Her appearance was even older than Iyelda. Her hair was ash-colored and her skin was leathery. Yet, she exuded a powerful, living aura. The newcomer was wearing mithril armor and carried a large, double-bladed ax on her back.

  When the dwarves saw her, they immediately knelt before her.

  The newcomer smiled gently. "Please rise, my children." She approached Alethea and kissed the young dwarf's forehead. "It is a joyous occasion to see you wedded, my lovely child."

  Alethea blushed at the comment and nodded.

  The ancient dwarfess chuckled and then turned her inquisitive gaze on Markos. "I am Bulddinger, the Spirit of the Mountain. I see that you are human but also something more."

  Markos nodded. "I am Markos Turloch, formerly a human from another world. I was reincarnated by the Gods and became a Dungeon Core. This body of Sibalt has been assimilated by me and we share one mind," he revealed.

  "Hohoho!" Bulddinger chuckled. "I see, I see. However, I have never heard of a dungeon core assimilating a human being. How is this possible?"

  Yozka stepped forward. "I am also an assimilated part of Markos. It was through a series of fortuitous events that the dungeon core was able to evolve and receive this strange ability."

  The dwarves gasped at her revelation. No one suspected that she was more than a mere companion for the young man. Yozka had managed to hide her mana pool.

  The Spirit smiled. She was already aware that Yozka was not human. She sensed the same magical aura emanating from the female human despite Yozka's attempt to deceive the dwarves. "Very well. I approve of this union and I welcome you both to my domain."

  Markos immediately understood why Bulddinger herself had appeared before them: to seek recognition of her dominion over the mountain itself. Sibalt bowed deeply to the spirit. "We recognize your claim over the mountain and we humbly ask that you protect our friends and allies above the surface."

  The ancient dwarfess nodded and stepped aside. "Please continue onward. My children have prepared a wonderful banquet in your honor." The spirit returned to the stone and vanished.

  Alethea stepped forward and pulled on her husband's hand. "Let's go! The food is getting cold!"

  The two newlyweds led the procession of dwarves through several tunnels and finally entered a large hallway. The place was filled with tables and benches. Delicious food and drinks were already prepared and awaiting them. There were two seats at the head of the largest table and Alethea claimed them with Sibalt.

  Iyelda stood and raised a mug of frosty dwarven ale. "To Alethea and her happy union with Markos and Sibalt!"

  All the attendees raised their mugs and took a big gulp of the ale. Then they started eating the food in earnest. It was venison chops served with wild mushrooms and a thick brown gravy.

  "Wow, this is delicious!" Markos commented.

  Iyelda chuckled. "Our hunters worked hard to catch a few deer. We normally eat hare stew instead."

  The dwarves quickly finished their food and began to play drinking games. They challenged each other to see who could drink the most ale without becoming drunk.

  Fortunately, the two humans, the elder, and the newly married dwarfess were excluded from this game.

  Finally, Alethea stood up and held Sibalt's hand.

  The young man immediately rose to his feet and the newlyweds walked past the catcalls and entered a large bedroom.

  Alethea locked the door behind her and immediately disrobed. She turned toward Sibalt and looked directly at him. The room was illuminated by glowstones on the walls. She slowly drew closer to him and allowed her husband to gaze at her beautiful, naked body for the very first time.

  Sibalt stared at her perfectly smooth figure. There was a surprising softness to her despite being a dwarfess. She had strong, thick bones but her muscles were lean and taut. Her face was youthful like a teenager's. She definitely resembled a Lolli despite being much older than Markos was.

  Alethea smiled gently and pulled him out of his reverie by reaching for his body and giving him a warm hug. She breathed in his sweat and his male odor. Her mind became delirious with anticipation and yearning for him. Giving in to her lust, Alethea unfastened his belt and pulled down his pants.

  He responded by pulling off his shirt. Sibalt shivered slightly in the chilly air.

  The wife noticed his shivering and said, "Let's warm you up." She gently pushed him back.

  Surprised by the enormous strength of her tiny body, Markos fell backward and onto the bed.

  Alethea immediately pulled down his underpants and grabbed his enlarged member. Her lips slowly engulfed his rod all the way to the back of her throat. She started sliding up and down, using her teeth and tongue to create friction.

  Sibalt fell into an enrapture of ecstasy and grabbed her head. His hips started swaying in rhythm with her mouth until he exploded deep into her throat.

  The wife hungrily squeezed his penis to coax every last drop out of him. Then she hummed a tune and reached for the Earth element; she directed the energy into his member to keep it firm and strong. It was a special music that her grandma taught Alethea to enhance a specific portion of the body.

  "What did you~," Markos asked when Alethea put a finger to his lips and then replaced it with her mouth.

  She kissed him deeply and used her superior strength to keep him firmly on his back. She wiggled her hips and legs along his left leg and climbed until she straddled him by the hips. Alethea reached for his soaring cock and guided it into the moist opening between her legs. Using her body weight, she pressed down and forced his member to enter deep inside her. The former maiden gasped softly and accepted the pain as blood dripped out and she lost her virginity.

  Sibalt immediately realized that she was a virgin and he stopped moving his hips.

  "I'm okay," she smiled and kissed him again.

  Encouraged by her lovely smile, he pushed upward until his entire penis was inside her. Again he was surprised by her--her body was like a raging inferno! His member was burning up. The heat of her body drove him wild and he started moving inside her.

  Alethea gasped but she wrapped her tiny arms around his back, urging him to continue. When the pain faded, she moved her wide hips in unison with his. The pressure inside her began to build until it finally overwhelmed her senses. Abruptly, her body spasmed involuntarily and she felt his hot sperm splash deep inside her. Her energy finally spent, she leaned her head on his chest and fell asleep.

  Chapter 21

  Quiet Chat Among New Allies

  While the newlyweds were busy enjoying their first night together as husband and wife, Yozka sat quietly in the dining hall with Iyelda. During the course of the evening, the Spirit of the Mountain took the chair relinquished by Alethea.

  "Master Markos, what's it like for you to be part of a Hivemind?" Bulddinger asked. The spirit had guessed how the dungeon core was able to link minds with two humans at the same time. She pondered how many minds the core could link with and exert control over.

  The human witch took a sip of the strong dwarven ale and set the mug down on the tab
le. "I prefer to be addressed as 'Yozka.'"

  "Sorry about that," the spirit apologized.

  Yozka waved her hand. "Before Markos Turloch was reincarnated as a dungeon core in our world, he was formerly a normal human male. As such, he has felt more comfortable in sharing his attention and focus on Sibalt. Therefore, I tend to have a bit more autonomy from the collective mind," she explained.

  "But Markos IS aware of our conversation, correct?" Iyelda asked for a confirmation.

  The witch nodded. "There are no secrets between us. Therefore, you should not insult him in my presence," she joked.

  The elder nearly spat out her food. She coughed for a few seconds.

  "I'm sorry," Yozka apologized.

  Iyelda coughed once more and then inhaled deeply. She frowned at Yozka. "That is a dirty trick."

  "She didn't mean it, though," the spirit defended the human guest.

  "Make it up to me by answering my questions," the clan leader demanded.

  "Ask away," Yozka smiled.

  "You said you have some autonomy from the dungeon core. Can you explain what that means exactly?" Iyelda pressed.

  "Certainly. Take, for example, this exact moment. Markos is busy experiencing the intense lovemaking through Sibalt's mind. He's not really paying that much attention to me or to this conversation that we're having," Yozka replied.

  "Can't blame him," Bulddinger chuckled.

  "Since you ARE a manifestation of the mountain itself, you already have a seat in their room!" Iyelda pointed a finger at her.

  The spirit smiled.

  "Okay, back to the topic of Markos. Please tell me what your master was like in his old life as a human. I want to know more about my new ally. Any information you share will help me avoid antagonizing him needlessly," the elder explained her reason openly.

  Yozka nodded in approval. "For the most part, he seemed to live a normal life. But he had two traumatic experiences. The first was a childhood experience that scarred him for life in terms of dealing with women."

  "How so?" Bulddinger asked.

  "A girl bullied him constantly. One time, she pulled down his pants and claimed his dick was tiny. Everybody saw and laughed at him. From then on, he became uncomfortable in the presence of women, especially those with strong personalities, and tried to avoid contact with them," the witch revealed.

  "And the second trauma?" Bulddinger asked.

  "Markos was murdered in his home by a woman. She was his boss and she hated him. He reported wrongdoing to the authorities and she killed him in revenge. I won't go into details but let's just say that it was a very gruesome murder. Even now, Markos is very angry about the way he had lost his life," Yozka said.

  The spirit and the dwarf traded worried looks.

  "The Gods have some sense of humor in bringing such a man to our world," Bulddinger remarked.

  "It is troublesome indeed," Iyelda agreed. "How does Markos deal with the fact that Enwald is dominated by women?"

  Yozka smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "He reacted negatively. He decided to change the world by taking over the matriarchies and placing himself as their king," she revealed solemnly.

  "He wants war," the elder realized.

  "That's the last resort. He would prefer to take over peacefully through trade," the witch defended her master. "Publicizing his dungeon and building an accompanying town is part of his plan."

  "Does your master want the Bulddinger Clan to march off to war?" Iyelda asked quietly.

  Yozka immediately shook her head. "You are his precious ally. He does not want you to fight except to help defend his domain," she reassured him. "Both on the mountain and under it," she clarified.

  "How will your master get the warriors needed for warmongering?" the elder asked.

  "Volunteers and mercenaries," the human witch answered.

  "Mercenaries? Their loyalties are firm until your gold runs out," Iyelda snorted in derision.

  "There are ways to keep the gold flowing," Yozka smiled. "Watch." She held the pewter mug and closed her eyes. She spent 5 mana to activate the Replicate ability to create another copy of the mug.

  The dwarf and the spirit were stunned by this demonstration. It totally changed their views of Markos.

  "The dungeon core could replicate items?" the spirit of the mountain asked with wonder at the miracle she just witnessed. Even SHE did not have this ability.

  The human witch nodded. "It's very costly, though," she noted. "It costs 1 mana to replicate one gold piece worth of an item." The pewter mug was worth 5 gold coins and therefore it had cost 5 mana to replicate.

  "The mana cost is meaningless for you and your master," Bulddinger replied. "Your master could tap into the earth for the energy to create gold," she pointed out. As a spirit of the mountain, Bulddinger could also tap into the earth for energy.

  "Speaking of tapping, could you channel magma into our furnace right now?" Iyelda requested. "That was one of the promises that Markos had made to us."

  "Of course!" Yozka replied. She closed her eyes and reached out with her senses for the magma chamber deep underground. Using Earth Work, she created a tunnel to direct the flow of magma to the location of the furnace. Then she shut off the flow and used the earth to coax of the magma to flow into the furnace. Finally, the human avatar opened her eyes. "Done." It took a good half-hour to accomplish because the magma flowed very slowly.

  The Spirit of the Mountain closed her eyes and reached out with her senses. She confirmed that the magma had flown into the furnace. She opened her eyes and nodded at Iyelda, who bowed deeply to Yozka.

  "Let's retire for the evening. I will take you to your guest room," Iyelda said. She rose from her seat and walked over to the opening to exit the dining hall.

  Yozka quickly followed her. Together, the duo plus the earth elemental left the dining hall. The guest was given the room adjacent to the newlyweds and Iyelda departed with a slight nod.

  The human looked around the room. It was smaller than the room that Sibalt was in but she did not mind at all. It was well-lit by the glowstones. She appreciated the fact the ceiling was high enough to accommodate her taller height as a human. When she sat on the bed to test its firmness, Bulddinger appeared in her room.

  "Pardon me. I would like to ask you something important," the spirit said.

  "What is it?" the witch asked.

  "Does Markos plan to assimilate Alethea?"

  Yozka held up her hand. She checked with the Hivemind. Sibalt was in favor of it. Markos was undecided. The same with Yozka. "We're not sure at this time. What is your stance on this matter?"

  "I don't have a position per se," Bulddinger admitted, "but Alethea is an Earth Singer and therefore, she is integral to the survival of the clan which was named after me. I regard the dwarves as my own children and I want the best for them."

  The witch offered a reassuring smile. "Before he was assimilated, Sibalt was like my own son. I found him wandering alone in the forest one day. His entire village had been slaughtered by raiders who wanted to capture him. He always felt guilty for the way the villagers lost their lives to defend him."

  "It took a long time, under my personal guidance, for Sibalt to move on with his life. If I had any say in the matter, I would not have allowed Sibalt to merge with the dungeon core. But he was dying when the core found him and the merger was the only way to keep Sibalt alive."

  "The merger has definitely changed my adopted son," Yozka admitted, "and mostly for the better. But I am cognizant of the fact that there will be enemies who will attack Markos through Sibalt. That is a constant danger for anyone who merges with the dungeon core. Alethea will have to decide if it is worthwhile to accept that risk in her personal life."

  "But then again, being the wife of an assimilated being of the dungeon core already puts her life in danger," the spirit pointed out. "I just want reassurance that Alethea will be granted the choice to decline the assimilation."

  Yozka bowed deeply. "We always giv
e our potential partner the choice to decline. The Hivemind works best when there are peace and harmony within the individual parts of the collective. A mind that is firmly opposed to assimilation will bring chaos and disharmony to the collective. It is something that we strive to avoid at all costs," she explained. She also realized that Bulddinger did NOT want Alethea to be assimilated if at all possible but the spirit did not wish to offend her new ally.

  Bulddinger nodded. "I assume Markos will seek to depart from the mountain early in the morning. You need your rest. Thank you for speaking to me privately."

  "It's been my pleasure," the avatar bowed again.

  The spirit's form melded with the wall, leaving Yozka alone in the room.

  The witch climbed into her bed and slept on the comfortable bed.

  Chapter 22

  Search for More Allies

  While the two assimilated beings slept, the dungeon core decided to spend the time to learn more about the landscape above his domain. After his reincarnation, Markos discovered that he needed very little rest compared to a human being. Therefore, he remained active during the late evening hours.

  According to the memories of Yozka, the Bulddinger Mountain was in the southern part of the Vessar Kingdom. The majority of the human population lived in the northern section of the cities and towns. The forests to the west of the mountains were occupied by the non-humans, such as the ogresses under his control. The Delta River separated Vessar from its eastern neighbor, the Urav Provinces, which was controlled by a warmongering and martial arts based matriarchy. The south was dominated by beastkin and particularly lizardwomen.

  Markos decided to focus on expanding westward to gain additional allies from the forests before turning his attention to the north and the human population of Vessar. The dungeon core searched for the mind of Fast Runner and found the alpha wolf with her pack wandering in the forest near the Yellow Sky's former home. I have a task for you. Find me some allies in the forest.

  Yes, master. The wolf barked and started running deeper into the forest. Soon, she came across a bear wandering alone.