Dungeon Bound 2

by Bastian Knight

  His Prime turned her smirking face to him and winked.

  “Fine, I’ll just grab something off the guard you hobknockers killed,” Reyna grumbled, pointedly ignoring the outrageously provocative outfit.

  Doubt a streetwalker would wear a skirt that short.

  He watched as Reyna stomped over to the headless guard and jerked at his clothing.

  “Asshole!” she screamed after discovering that his armor and clothes were thoroughly soaked in blood.

  And excrement.

  “What kind of shit for brains craps his pants just cause a chick with watermelons for tits rips his gods forsaken head off?

  She glared up at Gabriel. “Are the other guards in any better shape?”

  Reminded of the way Cindra had mauled the second guard, he shook his head. “Not really. One we left outside on the street, she snapped his neck. But the other one makes this guy look clean.”

  “Shit titties,” Reyna muttered. “Give me the gods-damned slut suit. But if you fucking look at me funny, Imma rip off your pecker from the root, huge dong or no!” she snarled at Gabriel.

  “You’re too small for Packmaster,” Cindra growled back, which caused the tiny lycan to flinch.

  “We also found this, if you are feeling… kinky, Master.” Sthuza held up an obviously expensive, leather and silk muzzle. Black and red, it matched the lycan’s new outfit perfectly. “It has some interesting enchantments.”

  Gabriel snorted at her provocative tone—and Reyna’s wordless scream.

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but maybe you could put that away for now.”

  “Of course, Master,” she teased, then turned serious. “We do need to get moving, it would not be safe to be cornered down here.”

  ◆◆◆

  Without further issue, and only a little growling, they made their way down the hall and back upstairs.

  In less of a hurry this time, he peeked into each cell they passed but found the dark rooms unoccupied.

  “Guess someone came to investigate,” Reyna whispered.

  Cindra sniffed, then shook her head.

  “Uh, yeah, you can’t hear the asshole up there? Did your master fill those huge ears with too much cum?” Reyna snapped at the hellhound.

  Cindra’s face fell, but she shook her head and pointed up. “Is the guard. Probably healed enough to crawl around.”

  “I thought you broke his neck,” Gabriel said.

  Again she shook her head. “Is the other one. Shiny neck armor protected his throat.”

  That guy she butchered is still alive? She was wrist deep in his chest! I thought she was just making a mess.

  “This is not the time to worry about past mistakes, Master. Besides, I was the one that said he was dead,” Sthuza replied then turned to Cindra. “He looked human; was he a lycan?”

  The hellhound nodded. “Think so. Smelled kind of like a wild dog. Very musky.”

  “Werewolf,” Reyna and Sthuza said at the same time.

  “Right. Sorry we doubted you, Cindra. Let’s deal with him quickly this time, then get clear before we return to the inn,” Gabriel said.

  His bonded nodded, and to his surprise, the short lycan did as well.

  Gabriel headed for the stairs, then Reyna growled loud enough to hurt his hearing. He turned to her and stepped back.

  She was petite compared to the modestly built gorgon. Next to the hellhound that towered over her, she looked like a small child.

  But she was rapidly growing.

  Thick, black-and-white fur rippled across her toned body. She grew taller and packed on dozens of pounds of corded muscle in seconds.

  A streak of white-blond fur traced down her back and formed a distinct striped mask on her snarling face. A light gray covered her stomach and inner thighs. The rest of her much larger body was now coated in thick black fur.

  Sthuza sighed.

  What’s wrong?

  ‘She is a werebadger.’

  A what?

  ‘Werebadger. One of the most dangerous lycans. She will be nothing but trouble, Master.’

  Let’s not be too quick to judge. We did help her.

  Sthuza didn’t respond, and he watched as Reyna finished shifting, stretched, and then turned to face them again.

  She’d gained a good half a foot in height, and probably fifty or more pounds of lean muscle.

  The erotic lingerie had grown with her.

  Lace stockings, complete with satin garters, covered her legs from the thighs down. Somehow, her fur was kept in check by the fabric, which Gabriel realized was enchanted. It created an oddly appealing blend of short dark fur set off by the black-and-red ensemble.

  The sexy corset had expanded to stay on her broader torso. Gabriel absently noted that her breasts didn’t grow during the shift and looked smaller on her expanded frame.

  Reyna noticed his look and bared her fangs. “Hey, not everyone gets to have cow udders for tits, asshole!”

  His eyes darted to the hellhound for a second, before they returned to Reyna’s much-altered face.

  It was now covered in the same short fur as her body. Black stripes ran along her pronounced muzzle, up passed her eyes, and to her ears.

  That lines up with what I’d expected from the baron’s reputation. The rumors were always about the more animalistic beastkin, not the mostly human-looking anitari.

  While her previously human teeth were now vicious fangs, her amber eyes remained the same, and they drew him into their golden depths.

  The pair gazed at each other until Sthuza cleared her throat. “We still need to get out here.”

  Gabriel blushed and turned to face the gorgon.

  “Cindra likes that shape better.”

  He glanced back at the lycan at Cindra’s words.

  Reyna’s facial fur was puffed out, and she wouldn’t look him in the eye.

  Is that what a blush looks like on a lycan?

  “Yeah, whatever,” Reyna said before rushing up the last few stairs.

  They followed and caught up just as Reyna tackled a bloody, helmetless werewolf propped against one wall.

  He groaned. She snarled.

  Cindra growled and leapt into the frantic pile. Then it was Sthuza’s turn to sigh.

  “This is yet another reason to hate all of the furry races, Master.”

  Gabriel grinned at her, and together they stood back as the three beastkin clawed and bit at each other. Fur flew into the air, mixed in with copious amounts of blood. Most of it came from the wolf, but Reyna had several dark patches of wet fur.

  The fight took longer than Gabriel was comfortable with, but eventually, the pair overwhelmed the still wounded man. Cindra ripped one arm off and grappled the other. That allowed Reyna to dig into the man’s unprotected head.

  Which she did. She revealed long claws that shredded the werewolf’s flesh and, after repeated slashes, carved through bone to expose the dying lycan’s brain.

  A minute or two after he stopped struggling, Reyna ceased excavating his brainpan and stood up. Cindra gnawed on his knee for a few more seconds until Gabriel got her attention.

  She dropped the limp limb, then bolted over to squat at his feet. “Packmaster pleased?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, Packmaster pleased,” he said and ruffled her hair. “Though we need to do something about the gore covering you both.”

  “Not sure we’ll be able to find anything that would fit Miss Breasts-bigger-than-her-head,” Reyna snickered as she went through the dead man’s belongings.

  Sthuza grinned when Gabriel cast the same basic cleanse spell he’d been getting so much more use out of over the past few days.

  Swirls of arcane power glowed about the bloody pair for several seconds before fading and revealing two perfectly clean beauties.

  “You two clean up pretty nice,” he chuckled.

  Reyna spun and glared at him.

  “You… you!”

  “Me what?” Gabriel asked snarkily.

  “You butt
-munching, fart-sniffing, snake-lover! You could have cleaned that other guard’s clothes. But no, you let your fucking cunts force this stupid outfit on me!” Reyna ranted, spitting foam and snarling.

  His laughter vanished, and a blue-white tide of fiery rage surged over him. All thought stopped.

  The air cracked. Before anyone could blink, he had Reyna by the neck and slammed her against the wall.

  The belligerent lycan froze.

  Gabriel held her up to his height with casual ease. Staring into her eyes, he watched as the amber vanished into expanding pits of darkness.

  Reyna shrank in on herself, and her dilated eyes looked anywhere but his face.

  Gabriel drew in a deep breath. The acrid stink of her fear filled his nostrils. A hint of something… else lay beneath the fear. It aroused a primal hunger within him. His fury burned even hotter.

  She swallowed. His hand tightened further. The feel of her neck yielding to his grip felt right.

  ‘Kill the impudent bitch!’

  Every fiber of his being longed to snap her neck—or rip it out with his teeth.

  No!

  He wanted to release her and apologize. He also wanted to tear out her throat and watch her lifeblood spill.

  “I don’t care what you call me. But if you insult my packmates like that again, I will lock you in the dungeon and harvest your hide to make coats for goblins,” Gabriel growled between clenched teeth.

  “Fuck… fine,” she gasped.

  He let go.

  The petite lycan slid down the wall and collapsed on her butt. The only sound in the room was her ragged breath as she sucked down much-needed air.

  She stared at her bare feet while his bonded moved to him. Both women wrapped their arms around him.

  “Are you okay, Massster? What wasss that magic?”

  He clung to his bonded. “Magic?”

  “Packmaster was next to Cindra, then you were next to Grouchy Panties,” Cindra mumbled between licks of his hair.

  “I… I don’t know. I’m not sure what came over me,” Gabriel said. “Forget about it. We need to get out of here.”

  “Of courssse, Massster.”

  “I’m sorry,” Reyna whispered. The hugging trio turned at her meek tone. Cindra leaned toward her and sniffed loudly, and the lycan’s facial fur puffed out.

  “I forgive you, Misss Reyna, but pleassse show more ressstraint in the future,” Sthuza said. She stepped away from Gabriel and pulled the lycan aside for a private chat.

  The hellhound tilted her head and stared inquisitively at Reyna. “Packmaster not want her to join Pack?” Cindra asked quietly without releasing her grip. “She smells good.”

  Reyna sniffled, and Sthuza hissed something too soft to hear.

  “I don’t know what I want right now,” Gabriel said distractedly.

  Where did that rage come from? Was I really ready to straight-up murder her over some words? Everything was fine, and then it was like an inferno of rage. And the scent of cinnamon.

  “Master, we are ready.”

  “Yeah. Good. Let’s go.”

  Reyna walked over to the butchered corpse and stripped its armor. “Co-could you clean this coat for me first… please?”

  Gabriel winced as the previously brash lycan held the bloody gambeson up with trembling hands.

  She won’t look at me.

  “Sure.”

  It only took him seconds to clean the filthy armor, and Reyna flashed a fragile parody of a smile as she pulled on the tattered coat.

  “Let’s get out of here. Might still catch dinner if we rush,” Gabriel said before heading for the exit.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Reyna and Sthuza were the first two out the door. His Prime was once again disguised as a redhead, and the pair started across the deserted street while Gabriel checked on his pool.

  Mana 50%

  At least whatever magic they said I used didn’t consume much mana.

  Cindra followed behind Gabriel, and they quickly crossed over and caught up to his Prime.

  Guess the alarm didn’t alert anyone at the castle.

  Relieved at the lack of resistance as they slipped across the city, Gabriel finally started to relax as they made it to the Merchant Quarter safely.

  Do you think it’s safe to take her back to the inn?

  ‘I believe so, Master. We left no witnesses, and it will take time for the baron to spread the word. Until he identifies Miss Reyna, people will be on the lookout for a beastkin.’

  Good point. I just don’t want to cause trouble for Mrs. Spaulding.

  ‘Agreed. Fortunately, we will be heading out of the city long before they can get a mage to track us. Once we return with the Domain Crystal, it will be time to punish the baron for his greed.’

  Despite Sthuza’s confidence, he was still tense and kept looking over his shoulder, half-expecting to see guards chasing them.

  Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief when Sthuza opened the door and led Reyna into the inn. He motioned Cindra to enter before him and closed the door once inside.

  The place was even smokier now than it was before they left. Instead of lanterns, the tavern was illuminated primarily by rushlights, most of which had burned down to nubs.

  Still, the place was very crowded, with several groups of drinkers clustered around tables or along the wide bar off to one side.

  Sthuza had claimed a table in the back. He joined her and the others just after Mrs. Spaulding waddled off with their order.

  “I felt it would be best to discuss things here first, Master.”

  “Good thinking.”

  Reyna switched between staring at him and the disguised gorgon. “Okay, so when are we going to fuck up that crusty taint-licker?”

  Seems like she recovered well.

  Sthuza snickered. “Charming as ever. We will not be dealing with him tonight. Our first order of business is to get you settled away without drawing any more attention than you already have with your current style of dress.”

  The short woman glared up at Sthuza but held her tongue when the innkeeper returned with a tray of drinks.

  Mrs. Spaulding handed off three large ales, then gave Sthuza a tall glass of red wine. The kind matron tittered with small talk the whole time. His Prime handled the gabby woman with ease, while he sat back and savored the flavorful ale.

  It wasn’t something the wealthy would drink, but the dark gnomish brew was better than anything he’d been able to afford the few times he’d gone out with classmates.

  Not that I had the time, or money, to waste on booze. Still, this is good. Though it’s nothing compared to Sthuza’s wine. That was exquisite.

  ‘Ah, I am glad you enjoyed it, Master. I will be sure to acquire more for you when next we visit my lair.’

  He sputtered at her sudden presence in his head, but she merely grinned from behind her wine glass. Thankfully, Mrs. Spaulding had already turned and didn’t notice.

  “As I was saying, we need to situate Reyna somewhere safe. And I am not certain that would be in the same room as you. Word might spread,” Sthuza explained, and her eyes darted to the retreating matron.

  “Yeah, I get your meaning. Still, I don’t like the idea of dropping her off somewhere else,” Gabriel said with a sigh. He turned to Reyna. “Are you from Lostbarrow?”

  She drained her ale, shook her head, and belched loudly. “Nah, I grew up in the east. Mom never much cared for the city life, so we…” Reyna paused and swallowed. “Anyway, I mostly stuck to the wilds. I know enough hunting and stalking to get by out there.”

  Not wanting to pressure the lycan any more than they already were, Gabriel nodded and looked to Cindra. “Do you have any thoughts about our next move?”

  He’d asked to be polite, expecting the hellhound to shake her head. Instead, she nodded eagerly.

  “Oh great, we’re letting her make plans?” the blonde grumbled.

  “Cindra… that is, I think we should keep her close at hand. Not ri
ght to leave packmate out in the cold.”

  “Yeah, I don’t like the idea of splitting up either,” he said.

  Cindra nodded eagerly, then beamed at the petite woman. “Also makes it quicker if she wants to mate with Packmaster after Cindra gets a turn.”

  Gabriel covered his face with one hand and shook his head.

  “I am not sure Master will have time for mating with anyone tonight.”

  “Tonight nothing! I’m not fucking this little magic man any night!”

  “Please keep your voices down,” Gabriel said as he reached his free hand out pleadingly.

  “Little?” Sthuza gasped.

  “Cindra can be quick, doesn’t mind going after Lady Snakes!”

  Really?

  “Okay, just calm down, everyone!” he ordered. All three women sat back and remained silent as he glanced at each of them in turn.

  “Our priority right now is to keep anyone from identifying Reyna and recapturing her.”

  He held up a hand when the lycan opened her mouth.

  “After that, our primary goal is to track down Estrial and recover the stolen crystal.”

  He turned to face Reyna’s sharp glare. “I know that you want revenge on the baron, and we’re going to help with that, I promise.”

  “You damned well better. I’m not leaving the city until he’s dealt with,” she growled.

  Sthuza raised a hand to stall her. “Miss Reyna, I understand your concern, but we are on a very tight deadline.”

  “Doesn’t matter to me. I let you loony adventurers lure me out, but I ain’t taking one step past the gates till the baron pays his debt. In full.”

  His Prime glared at the petite woman. “Now look here, you fur-covered rodent—”

  Sthuza was cut off by Cindra leaning across the table and pressing her nose up against Reyna’s. “Packmaster promised to help you. Don’t trust him?” Cindra asked.

  “Wh—what are you bitching about? I didn’t call him a liar,” Reyna said.

  The hellhound didn’t flinch. When Reyna tried to pull back, Cindra followed, staying nose to nose.

  Gabriel glanced at Sthuza. The gorgon had a smug grin on her face.

  “It’s okay, Cindra, I get what she means,” Gabriel said. He reached over and rubbed the muscular monster girl’s back.