by Eden Redd
Faye eyed the summoner, “You’re going to meet with her.”
Edric nodded. “I figured since her succubus seems to like me, it may help us. It’s too dangerous for all of us to go. Leeta will be my bodyguard. I will ride out once we’re done and ride back when I have an answer.”
“And if she decides to keep you,” Rayna leered.
The summoner looked to the ogre in front of the door, “Leeta won’t let that happen.”
The ogre gave a small smile and nodded her horned head.
“We could start building the Wyvern Towers, to help bolster our defense,” Claudia said.
Rayna shook her head. “The wyverns need a week to grow to their full size. If we build the towers now and we are attacked, they could all be killed. Besides, even tamed ones are too dangerous to grow within the city walls.”
“I have to agree. We’ve run out of time to build those towers. If we survive, they will have to become a priority,” Edric added.
“We have to think of the citizens,” Faye spoke up. “There are chambers and tunnels under the city we can use to house citizens unwilling or unable to fight. I will inspect them and see if we need more room.”
Thalia nodded, “I’ll assist you Lady Riverwood.”
“That leaves us with Lunatina. Do we all agree on having her as a courtesan,” Edric asked.
“She has shown me some of her skills in alchemy,” Thalia smiled. “I think she would be an asset to the kingdom, even with her small madness.”
All heads nodded in agreement.
Edric sat back and looked to his fellow rulers. “I hoped we would be in a better position than we are now. I don’t have any words of wisdom to bring to the table. This may be a hard battle and all I can say is that I will fight to the bitter end for all of us.”
Rayna barked out a laugh, “Let’s get our act together first before you get all sappy on us.”
“We will all fight for each other and the kingdom,” Claudia smiled.
“They will bow to our strength,” Faye smirked.
The bard rolled her eyes, “Ugh, you all take this way too seriously.”
Rayna stood up and began walking for the door, “I’m going to go and dig up some more allies.”
Leeta stepped aside as the bard opened the door and stepped out. Faye, Thalia and Claudia were next. Edric reached the door when Dumadin put up a hand, stopping the summoner short.
“May I have a word with your ogre, just for a few moments?”
Edric looked to the dwarf and then to Leeta. The ogre smiled.
“I don’t see why not. Leeta, when you’re done, meet me in the city core chamber.”
Edric stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Leeta looked down at the dwarf, eyebrow raised. Dumadin gave a toothy smile before his eyes lowered to the spikey mace at her belt.
“I have been admiring your mace there, lass. Mind if I take a look?”
Leeta eyed the dwarf for a moment before drawing the mace and handing it sideways to the dwarf courtesan.
“Fine craftsmanship and well balanced. What would you say to allowing me to build something similar, with some improvements? I’m a bit of a tinkerer and could use the practice.”
The beautiful ogre kept her eyes neutral, “Is there something you want in return?”
The dwarf gave her a wide grin. “Perhaps, you see, I’ve been working on a special project of my own design. Despite my considerable skills, I still require an assistant with some considerable strength. Let me build you a new mace and you spend a little time helping me in my shop? What do you say?”
The dwarf held up the mace and Leeta picked it up. The ogre wasn’t sure what to think but if it was simply helping him move something, she didn’t have an issue with it. After a long moment, she gave him a silent nod.
“Excellent, lass” Dumadin grinned. “When you return, we can work out the details but for now; let’s keep it our little secret.”
Eight
Edric stood before the dungeon entrance, inky darkness filling the opening as sunlight glowed against the surrounding stones. The ride here was uneventful, giving the summoner a chance to calm down his stormy thoughts and catch a cleansing breath. Recent memories from a few hours before played in his mind’s eye. Edric couldn’t fight back the small smile as they appointed Lunatina as a courtesan of Elora. The jester was overcome with joy as she hugged everyone in turn before jumping against the wall and flipping her lithe body in celebration. She quickly calmed down as duties were handed out and she was ordered to create potions.
The summoner sighed at the dungeon entrance. The last images of Faye, Claudia and Rayna haunted his heart. The three rulers were more than capable to ensure Elora would be safe but seeing him leave played on heartstrings. The bond between them had grown and it showed when he mounted his horse, gave them a wave and rode off from the western gate. The ride through the flat lands to the forest was pleasant with a dash of gloom. Leeta was in her lock stone, giving the player a quiet moment to himself.
The image of Juna was the last memory to slide over his thoughts. He didn’t get a chance to see her before he was off. He assumed she was getting to know her father, even though he was in a new body. The strangeness wasn’t lost on the summoner but a simple hope whispered to Edric, wishing Juna was truly happy to see her father again.
The summoner dug his fingers into his satchel and pulled out Leeta’s lock stone. Whispering arcane words, energy snaked out and touched the ground. A runic circle slowly spun as the dark-haired ogre rose up. When she reached her full height, the circle faded away and she smiled to her master.
Not a moment later, a pale body moved to the dark edge of the dungeon entrance. A white hand and arm emerged from the shadows and beckoned the summoner and ogre in. The pair gave each other a look before stepping into the shadowy entrance, cool air flowing over warm skin.
A woman in single piece white bathing suit stood, smiling. Black horns curved from her forehead. Black wings lay folded to her back, the jointed points above her shoulders. Bare feet with long toenails touched the floor and a pointed black tail swayed just past her supple thighs.
“Welcome Lord Temple,” the succubus grinned.
“Thank you Sekka,” Edric bowed his head.
“My mistress is waiting on the lower levels. Please follow me. She is eager to see you.”
Sekka turned and began walking. The summoner and ogre followed. The dungeon corridor turned from darkness to the warm light of torches. The cool dungeon air caused the flames to flicker to slight breezes but not enough to put them out. Edric walked along, trying to fight the gravity pulling at his eyes to gaze on the succubus’s firm ass. It almost seemed like Sekka was trying to entice him with every sway of her inviting hips. He didn’t think he would have such a thought after she broke into his room and seduced him months ago, so she could impart gifts from her mistress.
The corridors turned and branched. Edric caught sight of the occasional kobold or dark elf but they moved away as the three of them approached. Taking stone stairs to lower levels, the player soon found himself lost. The dungeon took a life of its own, turning into a complicated maze. Just as Edric was questioning if he and Leeta could find their way back, they turned into a wide corridor. At the end was a nondescript door, two torches on each side of it and nothing else.
Sekka smiled. “My mistress is waiting in her chambers. Leeta will accompany me to another room just down the way we came. She would normally be fine with entertaining two guests but she gave me instructions that only you will meet with her.”
Edric reluctantly nodded. Concern filled his brow as Leeta gave the succubus a hard stare. Sekka kept her pleasant smile, turned and began walking. Leeta looked to Edric and the summoner shrugged, unsure what to do since they were in Lyndra’s domain.
“I will be listening,” Leeta said simply.
“Please do,” Edric said with a half-smile.
With that, the ogre turned and followed the succubus. Edric look
ed down the short corridor and put one foot in front of the other. A moment later, he stood before the door and lifted a hand to knock. The door opened before he could touch it and warm air flowed out into the corridor. Edric stepped in and the moment he made it past the threshold, the door closed and locked into place.
The chamber was vast, filled with all the comforts one would need to be happy. An impressive library covered one wall while a glowing fireplace rested against the opposite side. Plush comfortable furniture decorated the room in small sections, a large comfortable bed taking up the middle. Wrought iron stabbed up from the head of the bed in a gothic style. A woman stood by a table, pouring wine into first one glass and then a second. Her eyes never looked up as she finished her small task. Delicate hands put down the bottle and lifted each glass.
Edric stood motionless as the woman stood at her full height and sauntered toward him. An expensive robe with strange vine-like designs covered Lyndra Spire’s hourglass body. The top of the robe was open from her neck down to her navel, a small velvet rope barely keeping it closed. Warm, inviting cleavage shined against the fireplace light. A bare sensual leg was exposed from her robe with each step, sending a chill up Edric’s spine. Glowing blue eyes sparkled as she stopped in front of the summoner and handed him a glass.
Edric took the glass and bowed his head. Lyndra gave him a small smile before she turned and sauntered over to a small loveseat, her hand patting the seat next to hers. Edric looked to the other empty chairs in the seating area before stepping over and sitting next to the dungeon mistress. Nervous energy crawled into his arms and legs. Remembering the wine glass in his hand, the summoner took a deep sip, the taste easing his nerves by a hair.
“It’s good to see you Edric. I thought you had forgotten us since our last encounter.”
“The kingdom keeps us very busy,” Edric said flatly.
Lyndra’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “Using the royal ‘we’ are we? Your kingdom has grown and you have taken to royalty rather quickly. I am impressed.”
The dungeon mistress shifted in her seat, the edge of her robe moving and showing a little more of her voluptuous chest. “What brings Lord Temple to my humble dungeon?”
Edric clenched his jaw for a moment. Taking another sip from his glass, the red wine swirled into his belly. The player eased the tension in his jaw and turned his body to face the dungeon mistress.
“I know we were meant to have an open dialogue and trading between your dungeon and the kingdom….”
Lyndra interrupted the summoner with a playful laugh. “As you said, the kingdom keeps you busy. You do not have to fret; I have had Sekka already open a discreet trading route with some trusted business partners in your wonderful city. She has been more than capable of shifting her form into something a little less inviting to carry out business and keep it secret.”
Edric’s brow lifted, “You have been already conducting business with Elora?”
Lyndra took a sip of wine before swirling the dark liquid in the glass. “I couldn’t very well wait any longer. As you can see, I like to live comfortably. I may have my powers and abilities but I cannot create such fine craftsmanship suited to my tastes.”
Edric’s brow returned to normal as he tried fighting off the awkward sensations filling his stomach.
Lyndra eyed him, “Do not concern yourself, Lord Temple. I’m sure we can come to some further understandings for our mutual benefit.”
Edric let out a deep exhale. “That is why I’m here.”
“You wish to fortify our alliance before the trolls march on Elora,” Lyndra kept a half smirk.
Edric wished he could have been surprised but from their last encounter, he knew she was full of resources. “How did you know?”
Lyndra leaned back into her seat, eyes closing. “My power has grown in the last few months. The more I expand my dungeon, the more powerful I become. I gained a new ability to possess small animals on the surface, for periods of time. I wanted to know more about the Middle Kingdoms so a lovely little bat flew over for a look.”
Edric sat up straighter, eyes on the relaxed mistress.
Lyndra’s brow pointed but kept her eyes closed. “The trolls have indeed been hard at work. Flying overhead, I can see where they constructed many portals in the streets of each kingdom. Trolls from the southern kingdoms seemed to arrive continuously, filling the kingdoms with their numbers. I even glimpsed a dread lord or two before my power weakened and I was forced back here.
“I sent back little servants any time I could but it was more of the same. They are preparing and it looks like they have their sights on all of Lukken.”
“They are going to use the portals to attack everyone,” Edric said in a low tone.
Lyndra opened her eyes halfway. “You understand the situation then.”
The mistress took another sip from her glass before setting it on a small table by her. “The dark elves under my protection know the arcane secrets of the portals. To ensure our safety, no portal was created here. As far as I know, Elora does not have a portal either.”
Edric nodded. “We know runic stone is needed to create portals but we do not have the information to create one, not that we would.”
“A prudent decision, the trolls would have to march on foot to reach Elora. They may be four days away but they could arrive in three if they are determined,” Lyndra said with a sultry edge.
The dungeon mistress let a hand slide down as a thigh lifted. Edric’s eyes looked down as Lyndra left herself exposed. The torchlight flickered but there was enough light to see a budding pink line between two creamy thighs.
“Which brings us together,” Lyndra said in a heated voice. “What are your terms for alliance?”
Edric fought through the distraction not far from him. Forcing his eyes up, his gaze met with Lyndra’s. There was no time to waste as he thought of his fellow rulers, a half-troll and a kingdom.
“We need to provide an escape route for the people of Elora should it fall. Can your tunnels reach the kingdom?”
Lyndra nodded with half closed eyes. “My kobolds are almost to your city already. They should reach the tunnels under your city in over a day. Once they break through, I will have Sekka contact you and your lovely rulers. I already have a large enough dungeon and multiple escape routes should the trolls follow and follow they will. My kobolds will place special crystals containing hints of my power. Once your people are safe, I will be able to activate the tunnel collapse with a thought. That should stop them for a time.”
Edric nodded. “I’m okay with that. Will your people join us in the fight when it comes?”
Lyndra’s smile melted away. “I cannot agree to that term. My people number in the hundreds and they would be throwing their lives away if they fought alongside your people. My power cannot extend much beyond my dungeon so I will be unable to aid them should the fighting grow desperate.”
“You can only provide an escape route?”
Lyndra nodded. “For now, yes, unless you can sweeten the pot?”
Edric thought for a moment but his mind came up blank, “What do you want?”
The dungeon mistress’s eyes widened a hair before they fell back to a sultry gaze. “If Elora survives, I wish to extend my power to the levels under your city. Allow my kobolds and dark elves to mingle with your people. Encourage your people to gather on the sublevels so I may be able to speak and interact with them.”
Edric could see the need for genuine contact in her blue eyes. It didn’t occur to the player that despite having minions, the dungeon mistress lacked real conversation and social experiences. The player hesitated on the idea of a dungeon core mixed with the actual kingdom. Lyndra’s unstable nature could cause them more headaches if they survive.
“I will have to speak to my fellow rulers but I think we can do that.”
Lyndra shook her head, “I cannot wait for the slow wheel of diplomacy. I respect your fellow rulers but our kingdoms are in danger. I w
ill need an answer now.”
Edric squared his jaw. “Okay,” the summoner said simply.
Lyndra’s smile returned. “I am currently paying gold for shipments of Elora wine.”
Edric looked to the dungeon mistress and smiled. He had seen enough behind the door deals in his work in day life that he understood what she was implying.
“I will make arrangements for several cases to be delivered to you regularly, free of cost.”
“Most kind of you, Lord Temple.”
Edric remembered some of the sales meetings from reality and their cut throat tactics to gain business. Seeing his chance, he knew he couldn’t simply rely on her good will to keep to their agreement.
Edric cleared his throat before he spoke, “To ensure our agreement is kept intact, I will need Sekka to reside in the kingdom until the danger has passed.”
A hint of annoyed anger filled Lyndra’s eyes. “You cannot be serious? Sekka is my most valued servant.”
Edric smiled. “It’s only until the threat has passed. She will remain with us as a guest. When we beat back the trolls, then she can return to her mistress.”
Lyndra gave the summoner a shrewd glare before serenity returned to her eyes. “I will agree to your terms if you promise you and your fellow rulers will have regular meetings with me when our kingdoms are joined, to continue our established alliance.”
Edric wasn’t so sure the others would go for that. He felt he had already pushed his limit by allowing trolls to become Elora citizens. Lyndra was trying to entwine her influence into their kingdom and it left a bad feeling in Edric’s stomach.
Lyndra’s face smoothed into an understanding mask, “I understand your hesitation. You fear I may integrate into your kingdom so much that I would be unable to leave, a valid thought but not one to come to pass.”
Edric watched as the dungeon mistress sat up slightly, a sadness touching her eyes.
“There are things I wish I could speak of but higher powers prevent me. You and I wish to survive what is to come but where you can return home, I can never go back.”
Edric gave the dungeon mistress a curious gaze. “What do you mean?”