Dungeon Bound 2

by Bastian Knight

  He was a mountain of a man. Taller even than Cindra, his unnatural bulk made his specialization all too obvious.

  Face looks like it’s been broken and healed a hundred times.

  Another wave of righteous outrage washed over Gabriel when the hulking brute leered at the disguised gorgon.

  Gabriel cocked his arm back and stepped in close to the one that had attacked him. Twisting his hips, he drove his fist into the adventurer’s abdomen.

  The man grunted at the heavy blow and dropped to his knees. Gabriel rushed past him and hit the creepy big guy shoulder first.

  It was like charging a stone wall—or Cindra.

  Gabriel stumbled back and drew a deep breath. The big man responded by swinging a ham-sized fist at Gabriel’s head. He dodged it with ease but sensed the brute strength behind the blow.

  Don’t try to block that.

  He evaded a second swipe, then twisted and kicked out. His heel struck the man’s knee. Hard.

  The big guy just grunted. Gabriel stared in shock, pain radiating in his foot.

  Why didn’t that break his knee?

  Faster than he’d expected, his oversized opponent lashed out again. The meaty fist smashed him in the gut, and his stomach heaved. Air blasted from his lungs, he fell to the tavern floor.

  Gabriel coughed and rolled. A massive boot slammed down next to his head. He rolled further, then sprang to his feet, still gasping for breath.

  Reyna snarled, and he glanced over. Thankfully, the werebadger hadn’t shifted. She had knocked the small adventurer out and was trading blows with the second one Gabriel had hit.

  He turned his attention back to the wall of muscle before him. The brute swung wide, and Gabriel danced away.

  He darted back in and threw his full weight behind his fist, smashing the man’s face. The thick-set adventurer shrugged off the heavy blow.

  A thread of worry wormed into Gabriel’s mind.

  Don’t want Cindra to join in this. Anyone sees her fight, and they’ll know something’s not right.

  He forced down the worry and threw a series of quick jabs. His target failed to block. Each punch went straight to the face. The man still flashed that misshapen leer, then he cocked back and threw his bulk behind another powerful blow.

  Gabriel ducked low and inside. He coiled tight, then sprang upward and drove his fist through the point of the larger man’s chin.

  The adventurer snorted and opened his mouth to speak.

  How much Essence did this guy invest in toughness?

  A high-pitched squeal rang out, and Gabriel flinched.

  “Musclebound idiot,” Reyna muttered.

  From crotch height.

  Gabriel looked down and spotted the foul-mouthed woman between the giant’s legs. She flashed him a wicked grin, then her small hand squeezed tighter. Far too tight.

  The over-muscled brute lifted up on his toes and belted out another falsetto note.

  Either his tackle’s tiny… or Reyna pulped it.

  Gabriel cringed and fought down the urge to shield his crotch. He stepped back and watched as the big man crashed facedown when the tiny lycan released his family jewels and slipped away.

  “Look out!” a woman cried. Gabriel twisted back and spotted motion—the glint of a naked blade.

  The adventurer that started the fight was up and lunging toward Reyna from behind. His mouth was a bloody ruin, and he glared at her with spiteful eyes.

  Reyna was staring at Gabriel, a pleased grin on her face. Her smug look shifted to confusion as he rushed toward her.

  Gabriel focused his entire being on the man about to stab her in the back.

  I’m not fast enough!

  The world around him stuttered and lagged. Reyna cocked her head at him in slow motion. Behind her, the pompous prick strode through molasses.

  Gabriel stepped on the downed giant and leapt toward the lycan. Hand outstretched, he shoved Reyna to the left.

  The dagger flashed, and he shielded his face with one arm.

  A scream rang out.

  The rage-fueled attack caught his right arm. Gabriel winced at the hit then crashed to the tavern floor, grunting in pain.

  Pulse pounding, Gabriel rolled to his feet and shook his head. A glance down revealed the blade failed to cut through his sleeve.

  “Fucking asshole!” the bloody-mouthed adventurer screamed.

  “What kind of fart-drinking asswipe draws steel in a damn bar brawl?” Reyna grumbled from the floor where she’d fallen.

  Gabriel growled, low in his throat. Visions of a thousand deaths flashed through his mind as he stared at the red-faced man. Each was considered and rejected.

  ‘Hurt him. Punish him. Eat his soul.’

  Gabriel growled again, louder, and forced the inferno of anger that seared his thoughts into one hand.

  The man opened his mouth to speak again. Gabriel’s fist arched forward and crushed the adventurer’s nose.

  More blood sprayed out.

  The man lost his balance and started to fall.

  Gabriel’s mind blanked. When it caught up, he had straddled the man and was landing blow after blow on the bloody mess that used to be his face.

  The enraged Dungeon Master had no clue how many times he struck the man before someone pulled him off the disfigured asshole.

  Definitely not enough.

  Gabriel twisted and strained against the hands that gripped him. Someone held him back from teaching the bastard not to mess with his Pack.

  In fact, whoever had grabbed him held him up off the ground.

  Like a child.

  Gabriel glanced down and noticed the dark-gray hands locked around him. “Cindra?” he asked, his voice hollow with shock.

  “Yes, Packmaster. Lady Snakes said to restrain you,” she said softly—for her at least. “Wanted to join in sooner, but you said to sit.”

  He blinked, then shook his head several times to clear the dense fog that had stolen over his mind.

  Reyna staggered over with an empty tankard. Her face was a collection of bruises, and one eye was swollen shut. When she saw him looking at her, she grinned and nodded to him.

  Behind her, the crowd looked decidedly uncomfortable. Gabriel recognized several of them from when he’d first stayed at the inn.

  Guess seeing a Copper mage pulp an Iron-ranked warrior disturbed them.

  Or, it might be the fact that Cindra can hold me up like this.

  “You can put me down, Cindra.”

  Gabriel got the feeling she didn’t want to, but the hellhound obeyed, and they returned to their table.

  “Is everyone okay?” Mrs. Spaulding called out. Her loud voice broke through the last of the haze.

  Shit. What if they try to arrest me?

  ‘Calm yourself, Master. Focus on your bonded; feel our presence. We are safe. No one will hurt us. The threat is past.’

  Listening to his Prime’s soothing words, he relaxed and dove inward to settle his mind.

  By the time he pulled back and opened his eyes, he was staring up at the innkeeper, a large metal pan propped against her shoulder.

  “Are you all right, dear?” she asked, her voice softer now as she watched him closely.

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Hush now, that bully got what he had coming, I’m just sorry I wasn’t quick enough to get me a whack in myself,” she said with a grin and a wave of her frying pan.

  Gabriel shook his head. “But I struck first.”

  The older woman laughed, then turned and pointed. “See his buddies dragging his worthless ass out of here? They’re not gonna be filing any complaints with the magistrate, I promise you that. Criminals and bullies, the lot of them.

  “Only reason I don’t refuse ‘em service is their ranking with the Guild. Long as they’re members, we can’t risk offending them.”

  Gabriel grinned up at her and stood. “Well then, I retract my apology. Looks like we didn’t
make too much of a mess at least.”

  Still smiling, she nodded. “Nothing to worry about,” she paused and frowned. “Though I’m afraid you and yours may want to watch your backs once that lot gets healed. They’re likely to come looking for revenge if the watch isn’t around.”

  Sthuza snorted, then blushed when they all turned to her.

  Cindra grinned, and Gabriel coughed.

  Compared to our normal battles, meeting them in a dark alley would be… fun.

  “Hey, if they do come after us, I call dibs on the big one,” Reyna said.

  Already struggling to conceal his amusement, Gabriel broke out laughing at her serious expression.

  After long seconds of clutching his gut as he rocked with mirth, Gabriel calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes.

  Mrs. Spaulding was staring at him, wide-eyed. He smiled and shook his head lightly.

  “Sorry, it was probably just nerves from all of this,” he said. “Thanks for the warning, we’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Yes, we are most grateful for your support and concern, Mrs. Spaulding,” Sthuza said.

  “Oh, you. Please, call me Darlene,” the rotund woman replied cheerfully. “Gabriel never would, but there’s no reason for you to talk all formal with me.”

  Sthuza bowed her head politely and smiled.

  The older woman continued to fuss over them for a few minutes and brought another round of drinks for everyone, which greatly cheered up the sulking lycan.

  Once she left to attend other patrons, Gabriel formed the glyphs and cleaned himself and Reyna.

  When he looked up, three sets of eyes focused on him.

  “Why the hells did ya shove me aside like that?” Reyna asked.

  “Because you couldn’t see his blade, I thought…” Gabriel’s words died off when he noticed her face.

  Her uninjured face.

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You were worried a lycan might get cut?”

  Gabriel blinked. A smile formed, and he chuckled. “I might have forgotten that detail. Still, it worked out.”

  Cindra nodded her head. “Good to protect Pack.”

  “It’s not normal,” Reyna muttered into her drink. “You’re not normal.”

  ‘Did you know your armor would turn the attack?’

  He grinned at his Prime.

  Didn’t think about it until after I’d jumped.

  Sthuza sighed. “Perhaps we should discuss our next step.”

  After watching the petite blonde drain her third large ale, Gabriel spoke, “I’d say we more than fulfilled our end of the bargain. Not only did you get to kill him, but you’ve also captured his soul. Now, you’re going to track down Estrial for us, right?”

  Reyna nodded, and her longer, blond hair flopped about. “Yeah. Said I would,” she snapped. “But right now, I’d rather talk about the whole dungeon thing.”

  He shook his head. “Sthuza’s right, that’s not a conversation to have here and now. If you want to talk about it later, when we’re on the road, we’ll see about answering your questions.”

  “The two of them will take care of any hanky panky you wind up needing, right?” Reyna asked. “Cause I ain’t interested in fucking ya or even touching your shlong. Huge or not.” She emphasized her words with a fierce glare.

  Sthuza chuckled. “You have nothing to fear from Master, dear. He is a very considerate man, and we are more than capable of handling all of his needs.”

  “Yeah! Packmaster is gonna mount Cindra real good!” the hellhound cheered, surprising the whole party—and half the tavern-goers.

  Sthuza sputtered before scolding Cindra about her word choice.

  Reyna glanced at Gabriel’s red face and snickered. “I’m sure he is.” She went to take another sip and found her mug empty, then looked around for the innkeeper.

  “Before you order even more booze, dear,” Sthuza said, drawing her attention back. “We should discuss plans to make travel safer.”

  “Sounds like a good idea, do you have any suggestions?” Gabriel asked.

  His Prime nodded slightly and grinned. “While it has been a few centuries, I am still registered with the Guild. Hopefully, yours remains valid as well, though, I imagine you will need a new tag.”

  Gabriel’s expression darkened, but he shook his thoughts aside and nodded. “Yeah, they stole that when they took the rest of my gear.”

  “And you are not registered, are you?” she asked, looking at the short werebadger.

  Reyna snorted loudly before shaking her head. “Nah, Mom was never big on the Guild or fancy city dickheads. After she died, I kept on living the same way, never needed any stupid metal tag to prove who I am.”

  Sthuza’s face softened with compassion when the young lycan talked of her mother. Then, returned to neutral as Reyna devolved into another profanity-filled rant about the various assholes in her hometown.

  “Yes, I suspected as much,” Sthuza said before turning back to Gabriel. “Which is why I suggest that we go register them both with the Guild and replace your stolen tag.”

  Gabriel blinked at her and considered the off-the-wall suggestion. “On the one hand, I can see how it would help us when traveling through any cities or towns while hunting that backstabbing elf.”

  He paused again and rubbed his lip. “But, I think they might have a few problems with registering us once Cindra and I activate the Soulstones. Pretty sure my changes will freak them out.”

  Sthuza’s smile widened.

  “There is still a great deal that you must learn, Master,” she said kindly. “For now, please trust me that you will be able to register safely. Both of you.”

  “Of course I trust you,” he replied. “If you say it’s safe, let’s go ahead and get it done before they close. If we do, then we can come back and bed down for the night. Head out the moment the gates open.”

  “Cindra will be an adventurer?” the hellhound asked quietly. Uncertainty filled her expressive face.

  “Yes, but do not worry, I will explain later,” Sthuza said soothingly. “Remember our private discussion in my lair?”

  Cindra’s luminous eyes flared brighter, and for a moment, Gabriel thought she was going to take him right there in the tavern.

  It’s not really fair. She can pull off the world’s most intense puppy-dog eyes yet still fill a gaze with that much lust.

  He shifted around in his seat, more to reposition his surprise erection than because of the hard seat beneath him.

  These benches aren’t comfortable, but they were far worse when I was human. Wonder what caused the change?

  With everyone in agreement, Sthuza paid for their drinks, despite Darlene’s insistence on treating them, and they headed back out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Being the focus of Lostbarrow’s economy for over four hundred years, the Adventurer’s Guild had their hall in the wealthiest part of the city.

  The massive stone structure was four stories tall and better protected than the baron’s castle. It lacked the detached curtain wall and gatehouse, but Gabriel could feel the enchantments permeating it as they approached.

  Either they’ve buffed the defenses in the past week, or my ability to sense magic has gone through the roof.

  A grizzled warrior in weather-beaten drakeskin armor leaned against the copper-plated doors that led inside. He shot a lazy glance in their direction as they approached and returned to his whittling.

  Then his head snapped up again, and he stared at them.

  Gabriel felt a lump growing in his throat as they continued toward the blatantly staring adventurer.

  Does he know what we are?

  ‘Remain calm, Master. I do not believe he is interested in you,’ Sthuza whispered in his mind. She sounded rather amused.

  He blinked, then laughed at his paranoia. Of course the guy was staring. While almost a head taller than the man, Cindra’s body was nothing short of sculpted feminine perfection, shown off in her skintight arm
or.

  Sthuza’s human guise was quite attractive, but her more ordinary appearance, combined with a slightly more modest outfit, made her less eye-catching. Slightly.

  Next to his two bonded, Reyna looked downright plain.

  It didn’t take long to confirm the gorgon’s theory, and they walked past the guard without an uttered word. The man reluctantly tore his eyes from the monster girls’ figures as they started up the broad stairs.

  Gabriel took a calming breath before placing a hand on the ornate door and pushing. Despite his Prime’s confidence, he’d still half-expected an alarm to sound the moment he touched it.

  Gabriel exhaled, feeling the tension relax in his body, and he led his companions into the spectacular main hall. With his heightened senses, it was even more impressive than the last time he’d visited.

  Polished wood floors and a high ceiling made the large room feel even grander. It lacked the overly ostentatious decor of the baron’s castle, but he could feel the magical energy that filled almost every item.

  The walls were lined with a vast assortment of trophies. Exotic weapons and monster heads were spaced evenly along the dark wood walls. Interspersed were famous bounties fulfilled by local Guild members over the years.

  With the Guild’s wealth, it was easy for them to keep the massive building clean and well-lit. Gabriel saw one of the old beastkin janitors carefully dusting the paraphernalia decorating the far wall.

  The woman was working near the large, solid stone counter where adventurers selected various bounties and missions, as well as any administrative work they needed. Which meant it was the center of attention for the nearly two dozen adventurers lounging in the lobby, and where Gabriel’s group had to go if they wanted to register.

  I think I’m getting even more attention than I did the last time I came here.

  He’d been an even bigger nervous wreck that time. Sure he’d spent the past decade studying to work as support staff for the Guild. But, he’d never actually entered the Guildhall alone before.

  So of course, everyone had spotted his fear instantly. Thankfully they had done nothing worse than glare at him, but he still didn’t look back fondly on the memory.

  I have no intention of ever letting myself feel so weak and worthless again.