Underworld - Through the Belly of the Beast: A LitRPG Series

by Apollos Thorne

  “How about Sanctuary?” Aeris asked, lifting her head to face the crowd as her voice rang above the clamor.

  “It’s not original,” she said when the commotion calmed. “We were all chosen in part because we were gamers. There are numerous games that come to mind that have used Sanctuary to name different locations. It’s because it is so common and that it will remind us of where we’re from that I think it’s perfect.”

  Almost immediate, heads started to nod. The lightheartedness of the moment passed, replaced by reminiscent longing. There was no going back, and everyone knew it. But we also felt the weight of what we were about to do. We had found a way forward. A place to call our own in a new world that wanted nothing but to leech us of power or see us dead. We had fought to get here and here we would stand.

  I saw the answer written firmly on the faces of the men and women before me.

  Turning back, I aimed my words at the Fire Orb that had awakened this chamber.

  Another rumble came from the wall that had posed the question to us. The words vanished, replaced by the name of our new dungeon. Sanctuary.

  Below the name, numbers appeared.

  20,000/20,000 Dungeon Points

  Before I could inspect them further, the entire dome above us started to quake.

  My eyes shot up. The image of the Incubus Xenos and his imps was skewed as they bent and transformed. When the process was complete I had to place my hand on the pedestal to keep from falling over.

  Where Xenos had been an image of me appeared in his place donning Titan’s Defense, with an enhanced Horned Skull Helm. Atop my helm, Aeris was perched, but instead of sitting, she stood, a single foot on my head, with her hand held out and the image of a twister in her palm.

  Skyler stood on my right side, followed by Russ and then Travis. Olivia stood on my left, with Audrey, Clarissa, and Trevon at her side. The rest filled in next to them, even Zorik. He stood next to Mel, who was exactly my opposite, facing me from the other side of the dome.

  Like lightning had just struck multiple times, a series of thunderclaps sounded from the area beneath our new portraits. Just as the greatest enemies that Xenos had defeated appeared under his feet, the strongest monsters we had defeated appeared under ours.

  The Werewolf Pack Leader was there with his arms shredded just as they had been the moment before his death.

  The Zombie Sergeant that led the platoon of Zombie Foot Soldiers that had attacked us during Lord Darius’s attack was also there, stunned as he had been after Russ’s headbutt. There was a Dark Elf Assassin, an Orc Brute, and the Lesser Ghoul that we had also defeated during the vampire’s attack.

  The shapeshifting Mantis was there as was the Nature Elemental, a Tank-Roach, and a Greater Imp.

  Only the greatest enemies we had faced and defeated were commemorated in the stone mural of the Master Chamber. Mistress Nava’s pet Hell Hound was also there, frozen in time as a missile of ice was getting ready to impale it through the mouth. As the most powerful monster we had defeated, he was depicted directly under me.

  “That is the most awesome thing I have ever seen,” I heard Travis blurt out.

  A number of whistles and similar comments quickly followed.

  The Fire Orb started to glow. A cone of light shot up about eye height and a crimson face appeared before mine.

  Jolting back, I held out my hand and flooded mana into my palm.

  “Elorion!” Zorik said curtly. “This is Khun, the spirit of the Dungeon.”

  Looking around, I saw every one of us was preparing a spell or had our weapons drawn.

  “Eh,” I started to say, before finding something intelligible. “Hi…”

  “Master,” the face replied in a deep, soothing voice before bowing its head. “I was called Khun by Xenos, my latest master, but my name can be changed if you will it.”

  Lowering my hand, I relaxed my posture before responding. “No, that will be fine.”

  “Very good. I will now unlock the door to the dungeon’s Living District. I suggest you have your servants explore to become accustomed to the area. On foot, it will take a couple of hours to see everything.”

  The stone slab that blocked the arching doorway started to fall with a giant moan.

  I almost laughed at him calling the others servants, but it really was no surprise if an Incubus was the last master here. I addressed the issue. “These are my friends, Khun. I do not keep servants.”

  The head twisted to the side as if confused, then turned to Zorik and asked, “And the imp?”

  Without hesitation, I replied, “He is one of us.”

  He registered the new information with a slow nod, then continued. “I would recommend you have your friends explore the Living District. It is in a sad state I’m sorry to report, but you can use Dungeon Points, or DP, to remedy some of the damage now. I will wait for you to decide before we discuss them further.”

  Turning, I found Olivia, then Skyler, and motioned for them to join me.

  If I had any doubt that either of them was up for the task, the stern demeanor they both held proved to me how seriously they took their job.

  I addressed them. “Take the group and explore the grounds. We need to know we can safely turn our backs to this new area.”

  Before they could respond, Khun interrupted. “That is unnecessary, sir. I feel no signs of life in the area.”

  Spinning abruptly, I asked the dungeon spirit, “You can feel all life in the dungeon?”

  “Yes, master,” he replied.

  “What of the Mid and Outer Perimeters?”

  “Look here,” Khun said, drawing my attention to the map on the wall.

  At its center stood the Master Chamber. It was where we stood now. Through the arched door, we would find a massive area shaped like a slice of pie that was the Living District. Just opposite it was the area we had just traveled through. It was an even larger area in the shape of a much wider slice of pie.

  Turning back to the passage from where we had come, I saw that we had entered in through the middle of three rooms. Each of these led to the rooms of the Inner Perimeter and remained separate, extending out into the larger rooms of the Mid Perimeter, which were also separate.

  The middle room was the wide-open area with a chasm that split the room in two, with only a bridge to cross at its center. The room below the middle room housed a room-filled maze. I always wanted to have a maze! The room above the middle one possessed a long narrow path right down its center with a deadly gulf on either side. Lining the walls, on the other side of each gulf, were platforms that stretched the entire length of the room where archers or mages could stand and pummel any monster that was trying to make it the length of the narrow path.

  From there, the Mid Perimeter opened up to the Outer Perimeter made up of the random run-down rooms and narrow halls that reminded me of so many video game dungeons. There was also no separation between the areas, but neither was there any logic to their layout, so it would have been as easy to get lost there as it was the maze.

  Seeing a compass at the top of the map, I saw the northern part of the Outer Perimeter starting to glow near the furthest rooms.

  “In the glowing area, there is currently an infestation of were-rats. Besides yourselves, there are no other living creatures in this realm,” Khun reassured us.

  “If that changes, notify me immediately,” I commanded.

  “Very well.”

  ***

  “The servant quarters currently house a maximum of 2,000 occupants, but to repair the halls and rooms, it would cost 1,000 DP to repair each room and 3,000 to repair each of the forty main halls.” Khun continued to list off all the needed repairs. “With your current DP, you could restore one hall and seventeen rooms.

  “There are also five dining halls that cost 6,000 DP each. They come with their own kitchen. There are two banquet halls costing 12,000 DP that share a much larger kitchen that costs 5,000 DP by itself.”

  “Hold it,” I s
aid, shaking my head.

  Aeris was now standing by my side and met my gaze as I blew out an overwhelmed breath.

  “You’re thinking we should focus on defense and worry about living arrangements later?” she asked.

  “I am.”

  Turning to Khun, I decided to see how helpful the dungeon spirit could be. “We are being pursued by a succubus with a dark elf, a dwarf, and about 40 or so wargs at their command. With the DP we have to spend, what would you recommend?”

  “I would recommend getting to know the Dungeon’s defensive offerings and spend your DP wisely,” the dungeon spirit said.

  I nearly facepalmed.

  “Zorik?” I asked, turning to him as he hovered nearby.

  He was the only person that had stayed behind with Aeris as the others went to explore. Well, him and my Golem that now stood guard at our rear.

  “I don’t know a lot about how all of this works, but I remember Xenos kept the maze and center room of the Mid Perimeter heavily trapped and left the north room with the narrow pathway open so that friendlies could approach. There were also Ice, Nature and Wind Elementals he could summon,” he replied.

  “Those traps we saw in the hall that led here could come in very handy,” Aeris admitted.

  “Would you like me to show you every trap location and give you their characteristics?” Khun asked.

  “Yes, but first. Can you wall off the Mid Perimeter or Inner Chambers?” I asked.

  “I can wall off the maze, and repair and lock the doors to each doorway in both areas.”

  “How much would it cost to block off the maze?”

  “4,000 DP.”

  “Yikes. It’s expensive,” Aeris said, wide-eyed.

  “For the cost, a meter-thick stone wall is raised to completely block off the Inner Chambers from the maze. It will also be indistinguishable from the rest of the stone walls of the maze, so even if they decide to try and break down the wall, it will be nearly impossible for them to guess correctly and destroy the right wall. If they knock down any other section of wall, they will be faced with more walls,” Khun insisted.

  “That’s not bad,” she replied.

  “That takes care of one way they can approach. There are at least two more.” Still not convinced, I asked the dungeon spirit if he was sure there was no way for them to get access through the Living Distract.

  “I am sure of it. Besides the door behind me, the closest tunnel is more than a mile away with solid earth between it and your dungeon,” Khun said.

  “What of the Elementals?”

  “You can summon Lesser Elementals for 1,000 DP each, Greater Elementals for 5,000 DP each and Master Elementals for 25,000 DP each. As the imp said, you have access to Ice, Wind and Nature Elementals, but also Fire since you are using a Fire Orb on the pedestal.”

  I nodded and asked, “Does that mean we can add additional stones of different elements to summon different Elementals?”

  “Yes. That is one of the reasons to supply me with greater sources of mana. Another is to increase the DP you have available to spend. Even though your DP will replenish over time, it will take five days for your 20,000 DP to recover. And a higher DP will allow you to access greater defenses like a Master Elemental.”

  It made me wonder, did that mean that the Mistress’s Bone Palace was run by its own orbs that gave Rock Hard and the other elementals life?

  “We are going to need to get more orbs,” Aeris suggested.

  “Yeah, but where?” I asked.

  She shrugged.

  “Well, I guess we better go through each and every trap. Also, the doors while we are at it,” I said.

  “That would be advisable, sir,” Khun said. “And I would recommend doing it quickly. A warg just entered the outskirts of the Outer Perimeter.”

  My heart seemed to skip a beat.

  “I’ll get the others,” Aeris said in alarm.

  “Only my advisors,” I directed. “Have everyone else forget about the Living District for now and start exploring the Inner Chambers in the middle section.”

  “We are going to trust that it’s safe?” she asked, motioning to the open arched doorway behind us.

  “Yes. For now.”

  “Okay, Master,” Aeris said, overemphasizing the last word.

  I arched my brow in query.

  She gave me a wink before flying off quickly to gather the others.

  With a deep sigh, I turned to Khun to see him smiling back at me for the first time. He looked rather cheeky.

  Chapter 25 – Incoming

  “Status,” I commanded.

  “The 38 wargs have covered 18 percent of the Outer Perimeter. But it won’t be long now. They are heading in the general direction of the northern sector toward the Middle Perimeter,” Khun replied.

  I nodded as I watched it all unfold on the Dungeon’s map in the Master Chamber. The 38 red dots that sped from room to room indicated the wargs that searched for us now.

  “Travis,” I said through group chat as I watched his blue dot near the mid sector. He was south of their heading, but it was still dangerously close.

  “I’m finishing up,” he replied.

  “They seem to be taking the bait. You have at most two minutes.”

  “No problem. Just finishing with this trap. If some of them don’t go for the easy prey, they won’t like what they find.”

  “Great. When you’re done, hurry back.”

  Turning to Richard whom we had to thank for being able to communicate with one another, I informed him, “It’s time.”

  He stood with me in front of the map, watching the enemy’s movements closely.

  Without turning to look at me, he replied, “Okay, boss. I’ll let you know if they change course, or if the succubus and her two henchmen show up.”

  I internally shook my head as he called me boss but didn’t let it show. Everyone seemed to be giving me random titles.

  I set off at a jog and went through the northern door into the Inner Chambers. Wasting no time, I cleared the partitions like a hurdler and hastened through each room. Entering the northern room in the Middle Perimeter we had started calling The Pits, I was faced with the long narrow stone pathway up the middle with two deep chasms to either side. The stone was the same blue-green that made up the rest of the area and glowed with its own subtle light. Each pit was approximately 200 meters down to its bottom and was composed of jagged rock. It just waited to devour anyone who fell.

  Russ turned to me with a sloppy grin. He stood in the middle of the pathway with a plate of torched cave-swine steak that Audrey had prepared for him with her Fire Magic in seconds. She had already retreated to the middle room we had started calling The Bridge to join the others. Russ had taken the cooked meat and ran around in the Outer Perimeter to spread the scent around the entrance of the northern room before dragging the scent this way. Since his job was mostly done, he was now standing here as our bait and enjoying the steak.

  Turning off to the side, I followed the path along the wall that skirted the pit. It led to one of the long side platforms. It also ran the length of the room but was cut off from the entrance the wargs would enter from. Aeris hovered a few feet off the ground, wringing her hands and Trevon paced back and forth. They had positioned themselves at the middle of the room, so they had a good vantage point to work their magic on the long narrow pathway running down the center.

  Before I reached them, a howl rang out from the entrance. It funneled into the room like the blast of a horn.

  I took off at a run and reached the others just as the first warg joined us at the entrance. It was coming at a brutal pace.

  Russ sawed at his slab of meat with his fork, insistent on one last bite before setting down his plate.

  “Here they come!” Richard cried through group chat.

  “A little late,” I said offhandedly. “There might be a delay. Try to anticipate two seconds ahead of where you see them on the map.”

  “You got it, bo
ss,” he replied.

  Trevon reached back with his hand, then swung forward like he was trying smack the warg from this side of the chasm between us. A mass of blue light shot out from his hand and struck the path near the middle of the room, covering it in a sheet of ice.

  The first warg soldiered toward it, a few strides away when at least a dozen more wargs appeared. They fought each other, jealously trying to make it through the entrance first. They must be hungry.

  Stepping forward, Trevon jabbed with his other hand, exuding more of the blue magic. It struck the path once again, this time closer to the entrance.

  The first warg was surrounded with ice on both sides. The newcomers still had plenty of room to enter and build up speed.

  Aeris rose up higher in the air as her excitement grew. Her hands came together, and she held them close to her chest.

  Reaching the ice, the first warg’s paws found no purchase and swam out as its chin smacked the floor. It skidded the entire length of the sheet of ice before stopping on smooth stone. It scrambled to pull itself up off the ice with its front legs, struggling to get to its feet.

  The large group of wargs didn’t stop when they saw their fellow warg faceplant. They barreled into the ice-covered patch and the first few succumbed to its slippery surface, but the wargs in the rear quickly caught on and leaped, clearing the ice patch entirely.

  I watched as Trevon weighed his next move. He waited as more wargs took to the bridge.

  The first one neared Russ.

  Turning around, Russ placed his plate of food behind him on the ground as he chewed a mouthful of tough meat. As he knelt over, he equipped a shield that looked like a big slab of steel and a short, one-handed hammer. The hammer’s head looked like it had a streak of purple down its side, so I wasn’t sure if it was made of steel or something else.

  When he rose to face the giant wolf, Russ’s grin was gone; instead, he was looking at the creature like it was his next piece of steel to beat into submission.