by Marty Myers
“ In the meantime, I would like your permission to give you a just a small taste of it so that you can judge for yourself whether you want to share them with me.” Llywelyn slowly leaned towards Hank and kissed him. Jb addition to being a wonderful kiss with all the feeling of her soft warm lips meeting his. It was also as if a warm wonderful wine flowed into his mouth and down his throat to his core where it warmed him. It didn’t stop there but slowly diffused throughout his body and made him tingle everywhere. “That’s just one tiny little example of the many things we can share if your willing Hank,” she said. Hank took a deep breath and pulled back.
“ Llywelyn that felt wonderful, he said, thank you. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression or to get mad, please. It is just that I have someone back home.” Llywelyn looked earnestly into his eyes and said, “ you can’t think that things will be the same between you and this girl Hank, not anymore. Even if you could find her and take her back to your dungeon how would things work between you now? Does she even know of your fate? And bringing her here into this dark world we now share would be cruel to her. No one is unchanged or safe where our Lord Darkness is concerned. Think about what happened to you.” Hank knew what she said was true. He would be putting her in so much danger even if he could reach out to Francis.
Llywelyn let what she said sink into Hank for a minute and then softly asked. “ Can I see her? This girl you think so much of.” Hank thought of Francis and their times together and they both watched some of his memories unfold of the two of them sitting watching a movie together on the couch and other times they had been shopping at the mall one evening.
Suddenly the memories stopped and Llywelyn turned and said. “ Hank, I don’t recognize where you were or what that box with lights and images was at all.” “ Well, Hank said, “ its kind of an odd story but I am not from around here. This demon found me in another world and offered me a deal.” He went on to explain some more and finally to share the memory with Llywelyn of all that had happened when Alastor had found him at the Dungeon Con.
He shared a bit more than he had meant to and she was with him throughout the entire day before the flow of memories stopped. “ So, she said, “ I would have never guessed that you would be from an entirely different realm. And one that has so little magic left to it. I now see why the Darkness is so interested in claiming your body as it is unfettered by the bans that inhibit many things like the resurrection he is trying to perform upon the Dark Prince. I also couldn’t help but see that your Francis used that strange phone device to end the relationship with you, Hank. Now we can add that and the fact that she is not even in this world to the growing list of reasons you should seriously consider me and my offer.” She gave him a sultry come-hither stare.
Hank was truly torn. What he felt for Francis was strong. Strong enough that he had been thinking of it as love a time or two. But how could he think their love could continue when he was a spirit tied into a dungeon lost to her on a whole another world. He didn’t want to sound so melodramatic but could their love be any more doomed than it was now he wondered to himself. Meanwhile, here literally within arms reach was a gorgeous, lonely, powerful, woman who really wanted to share and improve his life. How often was such a chance going to come to him? Even now every moment counted as the portal would not be open for very long connecting them. Hanks reservations crumbled as he truly couldn’t see any way that he would ever be reunited with Francis.
He and Llywelyn slowly began an embrace that traded fond memories and experiences back and forth between them as they kissed. Hours seemed to pass them by in the sharing and in time their clothes slowly melted off of them as the best memories of their lifetimes were experienced together and they shared their loves and thoughts and feelings too. Llywelyn pressed her body tightly against Hank’s and ever so slowly she and Hank gently passed through each other’s spirit forms. Their essences mingled in a tingling warm sensation like she had demonstrated to him before as their auras melted together and merged.
Then as they were fully joined together their cores began orbiting each other like a binary star system spinning closer and closer until finally, their centers were rubbing up against one another. To Hank this felt like every sensitive nerve his old body had had was being caressed and teased simultaneously by the softest, most amazingly skilled partner he had ever imagined. All of his senses seemed to be involved in flashing erotic images and feelings of Llywelyn into his mind as their centers sped up, heated up and fully melted into one another. Then briefly there was just one super core inside them, spinning brighter and hotter than anything else. It was expanding, he didn’t think he could hold it back any longer when with a final burst of light and sound their cores went supernova and exploded together coming apart again in a glorious release of energies. Each of them was hurled back from the other’s body, spinning around in the air with just their hands clutching them together to maintain the portal.
In the end, much was still kept back from Hank and some from Llywelyn but it was an amazing experience shared between them that gave them both much joy. Hank had learned a lot about Llywelyn throughout their joining as bits and pieces of them had intermingled in ways he couldn’t fully sort out. He did notice that his aura had further darkened by an amount that was almost equal to her auras lightening.
Later after they rested and their energies once again returned to a normal state she also walked him through her memories of learning things she could do as a dungeon spirit and what not to try out as some of her attempts had led to disaster. She showed him how to cause the rock his essence was embedded in to glow and illuminate the dungeon space and even how to make the stone absorb more sound to muffle noises. How to alter the rooms individual temperatures and a slew of other environmental tricks she had learned over time.
She also warned him that losing his familiar would have dire consequences upon his powers. “ For instance Hank I can see your developing teleportation through your imp, I too once had a significant aptitude in it which helped me to grow as you have been doing. Sadly when my familiar was killed much of my talent for it diminished until I have just a whisper of the talent I once commanded. An opponent can cripple you by taking your familiar from you so guard him closely.” She also imprinted upon him some of her knowledge of the necromantic arts that he had not learned or had available yet.
Lastly, she shared what she had discovered about trying to break the bonds and ways to try to protect his inner core from being permanently changed or destroyed by the Master’s influence. Then she showed him how to compartmentalize portions of his mind to hide this forbidden knowledge away. She also demonstrated that there were ways to scry and communicate with telepathy over much longer distances so that they could keep in touch and it could be used to search out and see threats approaching their dungeons from a great ways off. “ You will need to exchange with me now a small fragment of the stone of your dungeon infused with your essence,” Llywelyn said. “ I will give you a personal touchstone as well, keep it hidden somewhere safe always. It will help us to get past the wards set on each other and communicate.”
Finally she said, “ that’s enough for now Hank. I dearly want to do this again with you, but even now our time we can be here grows short. You must be very careful around the Darkness, believe it or not, he has been careful how he treats you up to this point because of your mind and body which he needs are still tied together. You are keeping the body healthy and whole while he alters it before the final stages of the soul transfer. After a certain point, he will not need to restrain himself from visiting his wrath upon you for the bodies sake.”
“ Also watch out for the Black Guard that will be manning your lower levels. They are mostly crude brutal beasts that respect only power and violence. Their leaders, however, are more cunning and sophisticated in their cruelty. Only the Darkness scares them enough to completely command their obedience. So you must watch yourself around them and be prepared for treachery.”
She then walked him back to the portal and had him rejoin his other self there. As he stepped back into his self, time jumped back to running much as he was used to and he saw only half of the hulking brutes in dull black armor had crossed the portal’s threshold. They looked like some kind of Orc race that had been interbred with lower demons and ghouls. They were a truly horrific debased breed of minion. Their auras were a smear of black and red with jagged tears here and there where it looked like something had taken a bite or two out of their spirits. Just seeing their damaged spirits made him feel sick.
He could still feel Llywelyn pushed up against him briefly but managed to limit it as she had shown him to them holding hands in their minds. Once the bulk of the guards were through Hank signaled for Birch and his skeletons to hurry through the portal and get on with their own task. As he was doing this he slipped a small piece of his dungeon rock into Birch’s pouch and gave him instructions through the bond to retrieve a rock from Llywelyn. Birch rushed through the portal just ahead of the next group of guards approaching from the other side. Looking over to Provoas he saw that a particularly large Black Guard with a golden medal insignia in the shape of a closed fist on his chest plate and huge protruding tusks was approaching his master. Hank hovered over closer to see what he wanted.
Lord Provoas the beast growled. “ I am guard captain Khourick I am in command of the Black Guard sent by Master Darkness to bolster the defenses here on the altar room.” “ Yes, Provoas said in a deadpan voice. “ I have been expecting you. There are chambers for you and your guards to stay in when they are not here guarding the altar.” “ Good I want to get my men settled in as soon as possible and take a look at the situation here,” Khourick said. “ I also want to see what provisions are available as my men are very hungry.” Hearing this Hank could have slapped himself for not thinking like a living being anymore. He had made no provisions for eating or anything else other than sleeping quarters. He could feel through the bond with Provoas that the liche had completely forgotten about the needs of the living as well. “This is a dungeon of the dead,” Provoas said. Hank stepped in, “ Master Provoas has instructed me to bring in game to feed your troops once you had arrived so that it would be fresh and to your liking. Unfortunately, we have no cooks or servants suitable or knowledgeable of your eating habits yet. Just some skeletons, a few zombies and other miscellaneous undead are down here other than my master, our demon Alastor and I.”
Khourrick said, “ you must be the new dungeon I have heard about. I have not broken in a dungeon in centuries.” Hank looked at the captain through his helmet and said, “ and you won’t be breaking one in now.” The two of them locked gazes, or at least the orc tried to but was ultimately stymied by the impenetrable black eyes of Hank’s helmet. With a grunt, the orc growled what do they call you dungeon? “ I am Hank Graves, he said. “ Well Hank of the Graves we must eat. Human is, of course, preferable, but any of the races will do. Fresh killed is good but alive is much better to add sport to dinner time and keep my guards in good spirits.”
Hank was sickened at the thought of eating humans but he should have known it would come to this. Hank thought that this might be a test for him but he could not resist arguing against it anyway. Thinking quickly he said. “ The Lord Darkness has made it clear to my master and I that we are not to draw any undue attention to ourselves. Snatching people from nearby could certainly do that.” The Captain growled menacingly and stepped toward Hank. “ My men and I will hunt for ourselves if your too soft to bring us the meat that we need,” he shouted. Other growls came from the guards loitering nearby.
Hank shot a question down the link between himself and Provoas about the guards before answering Khourrick. He said, “ none of your guards will be leaving this dungeon for any reason unless the Darkness orders it. This dungeon is sealed so that none may find it nor follow anyone to it. Master Darkness has said search parties of the Light have been sent everywhere looking to find us and stop his great plan. No lowly guard’s dinner is going to come between him and victory. I will prepare you and your men an eating hall and kitchen and I will teleport in wild game from far away that no one will miss. I will find fresh venison and fish and birds and other animals. Once the Darkness has what he wants and sends forth his hosts. Then he will decide who eats whom.”
As he finished saying this the captain whipped out a darkly glowing sword and swept it towards Hank’s midsection. Hank instantly reacted by beginning to trigger the last gesture in a defensive ward he had set up earlier when he was training with Provoas, Then the Darkness was suddenly engulfing them both and they were frozen in place. Hank had never felt so cold. It was as if he stood stark naked in deep space. “ Khourrick, you forget yourself,” the Dark’s voice boomed. “ I sent you here specifically to guard the altar room and the body therein. I made myself clear in my orders that Hank is one side of a coin I am spending to purchase back my Dark Prince. Until he is totally spent in the process I need both sides of the coin intact. Once it is shaved down to where only the body is needed then If he displeases me, and only then will Hank be a plaything I may dangle on a string. But until then he and his body is to be kept safe and sound.”
Swiftly the attention of the Darkness turned towards Hank. “ Hank you say the right words for the wrong reasons. Your heart has not turned from the light and embraced me fully mortal and I see that. I see all of the darkness everywhere. If you truly serve me I will reward you as I have your master Provoas. Look to him for guidance. He has Darkness in him but doesn’t allow it to consume him entirely. Or cling to Llywelyn’s dimming path as she serves me with less devotion, but still does my bidding nonetheless.”
“ Even I know that having nothing but Darkness in you is too much for any of the lesser creatures like yourselves to bear. My glorious Darkness cannot be fully unbridled for long inside others before it is the undoing of lesser beings, consuming them through their flaws. My Darkness Is like a black fire, it will consume everything before finally destroying itself. Only Myself, the Greatest of all the Lords of Darkness after having consumed everything else will remain at the end of all things. I will be the only thing left, I will be too Great of a Power, too Immense, for even my own hunger and thirst to consume me. I will glory in my own splendor forever bathed in my eternal unending Darkness!”
As the Darkness railed and ranted madly, each of them was lashed with its alien horror of a mindscape, chipping away at their sanity and selves. Hank struggled to hold on to the light and to the goodness within him. While Khourrick’s aura feebly resisted for only a few moments before holes opened up in it and the Darkness poured in extinguishing almost all of what remained in his core. When the Darkness finally receded Khourricks blackened body fell to the floor. Hank was barely still conscious as he blearily saw that everyone else in the room was kneeling on the floor in front of the Darkness. He forced himself down next to his master’s side and held very still while the Darkness brought itself back under control.
“ Kravous! he screamed you are now in charge of the guard here. Khourrick may recover some day or not. If he cannot serve as a guard in the next three days time then turn him over to the dungeon to do with as he pleases. There shall be no guards leaving the dungeon. Do nothing to reveal ourselves to the Light or to damage the dungeon. The ritual in the altar room will falter and fail if it is moved or dispelled or if Hank’s spirit perishes too early. I may not have another chance to retrieve my Dark Prince back to this world. None of you all together are worth a hundredth of what he is to me. Do not fail me my minions or your suffering will be unfathomable. ” Hank could feel Llywelyn’s metaphysical hand tremble within his own through the contact they shared through the portal. He saw as well that the Lord of Darkness too could occupy more than one space simultaneously as its form was still floating next to her keeping the portal open on her side of the portal in her dungeon. Once it was done threatening them, then the darkness floated over them all before vanishing.
Everyone fearfully loo
ked around before they got shakily up off of the floor. After a few minutes, a second group of guards made up of elaborately stained and inscribed skeletons trooped through the portal and took up positions around the outer walls. Birch barely made it back through with his crew of skeletons loaded down with a yoke pole balanced on each of their bony shoulders swinging two treasure chests a piece. He came straight over towards Provoas and Hank carrying one too. Meanwhile, another large Guard had went over to Khourrick’s body and began quickly stripping him of his weapons and insignia. Looking at him Hank decided this one had a more reddish tint to his complexion and looks that made him think he might have more demon in his ancestry than most of the other guards he could see. His aura was also more intact than most of them and it too carried a more demonic essence about it. “Masters, Birch said, I have retrieved what you sent me for. Where do you want it?”
Distractedly Hank waved him over to Alastor who transported it all into the vault until they could find time to take a look at it. Hank could feel Alastor wanting to talk to him through their bond. But he was still feeling pretty unwell from his latest encounter with the Darkness and sent back a short pulse he hoped would signal him they would talk later. Hank felt one last squeeze of Llywelyn’s hand before she let go and the portal collapsed onto itself and revealed the dragon’s skeleton once more.