Dungeon Bound 2

by Bastian Knight

  She stood fully transformed and glared at him. Her furry muzzle was set in a look of pure rage.

  “Maybe cause I love the feel of their guts as I shred their flesh. The warmth of their lifeblood filling my mouth and pouring down my throat,” Reyna snarled.

  Shocked by her hostility, he reached out to their bond and studied her. While he could feel her anger and indignation, it was far fainter than expected given her savage display.

  He dove deeper, seeking the truth of her. Hidden beneath the spike-covered surface, her presence was filled with embarrassment, fear, and self-doubt.

  There was more. Gabriel peeled through the emotions and sensed a hint of longing. A burning desire for something Reyna refused to reveal. But mixed in with all the rest was a staggering font of love and gratitude that was entirely at odds with her outward manner.

  She’s going to be a handful, isn’t she?

  ‘Based on the sense I get through you, I would agree, Master.’

  Gabriel sighed and smiled at the snarling werebadger. Her facial fur bushed out, and her eyes narrowed before she turned her back and stomped into the far corner.

  “I’m tired after all this shit. I’ll help you track down that elf skank after some sleep,” Reyna declared before dropping onto one of Sthuza’s bedrolls.

  He glanced about and noticed that three others were set up on the other side of the room.

  “That sounds fine, Reyna. And thank you for agreeing to bond me. I promise you’ll have a home here as long as you want it.”

  She hunched her shoulders closer, curling up away from them, and he sighed before turning back to his other bonded.

  “Thank you, Gabriel,” Reyna whispered. It was so faint he wasn’t positive he’d even heard her.

  “Well, Master, now that we have that out of the way, we should get some rest as well,” Sthuza said.

  He nodded and started toward the middle of the three bedrolls.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  The moment Gabriel lay down on the bedroll, Cindra was at his side, her beaming face inches from his. “Packmaster killed evil spider bitch, avenged old Pack! Ready to mate again? Grouchy Panties has to wait until Snakey and Cindra both go first, right?”

  Gabriel stared at her for a second, then flopped back on the bedding.

  “Sorry, but I—”

  “Master is far too weakened to risk injuring himself rutting with you, you musclebound breast-monster,” Sthuza said. She walked over and stepped in between them.

  “And as for you, Master,” she said, staring down at him sternly. “You will sleep on the outside roll tonight. I will sleep in the middle to prevent this furbrain from molesting you in your sleep.”

  He chuckled, then winced when the ache in his chest reminded him that he’d had a spear stuck through him recently. Only then did he think to check his injuries.

  Kind of surprised it doesn’t hurt worse.

  Someone had removed his padded coat and dressed his wounds. The left side of his chest was bound in clean white bandages.

  A glance at his right hand revealed similar cloth wrapped around his now itchy flesh.

  Sthuza sighed from beside him. “I bound your wounds after Cindra cleaned them, but even with the boost of regeneration you acquired from Reyna, it will take more time for your body to fully heal.”

  “Especially since you will have to acclimate to the changes from three bonds now. That is no doubt taxing your Essence already.”

  “How much change are we talking about,” he asked.

  The effects of Cindra’s bond have been pretty blatant. Hope Reyna doesn’t have the same kind of impact on me.

  “It is… hard to tell, Master,” she replied. “You are so new to being a DM and still getting a feel for who you are now. And…”

  “And?”

  She sighed and turned away from him. “And you are bound to some rather powerful monsters, relative to yourself. A normal DM would develop and grow for decades before bonding with a greater gorgon. I have no idea what sort of long-term consequences will arise.”

  He nodded. Being careful of his injuries, he reached out and pulled the depressed gorgon to him. “I hope you aren’t blaming yourself, or the others for any of this, my Prime,” he said.

  “But—”

  He brushed his bandaged fingers against her soft lips. “Nope, I am eternally grateful for each of you and for all you’ve done to help me. So no being negative.

  “Sure, I’m a little concerned about the idea of dramatic personality changes. We’ve already seen my temper grow recently,” Gabriel paused to grin at the sulking hellhound nearby.

  “But I’d rather face potential changes than be dead—or without you,” he said and punctuated his words with a decisive nod.

  “Oh, Massster,” Sthuza replied. She wrapped her arms tight around him, which made him gasp as his battered chest protested.

  She loosened her hold on him, a faint blush darkening her green skin. “Sssorry.”

  “It was worth it,” he said with a grin.

  “And no, Cindra,” he continued, turning to face the stealthily creeping monster girl. “It is not mating time now, either.” When her expressive face fell, he reached out and gently brushed her wild hair with his good hand. “But as soon as it is, I’ll let you know.”

  She brightened, her luminous eyes flashing happily. “Packmaster promise?”

  He chuckled, and his smile widened when Sthuza giggled.

  “Yes, Packmaster promises, and it won’t be long,” he said, still stroking her hair. Surprisingly she hadn’t tried pressing against his hand, demonstrating restraint he wasn’t sure she was capable of.

  “But for now, I think there is one more lovely lady that I need to meet with,” he said, causing Cindra to tilt her head and stare in confusion.

  “I said I don’t wanna suck your massive dick! Don’t care how hard it gets either!” Reyna shouted from across the room.

  Gabriel stared for a moment, then turned to Sthuza and blinked.

  His Prime let out a soft giggle, her head-snakes writhing mischievously as her eyes lit with mirth. “I do not believe Master was referring to you, dear.”

  A stream of indecipherable profanity erupted from the lycan’s side of the room. Gabriel was thankful she was loud enough to cover up the sounds of his and his Prime’s laughter.

  Really don’t want to know what she’d do if she realized how amusing we found that.

  A soft amber glow brightened the room, and Gabriel turned toward the partially open door. He could see Merideva’s dimly lit globe peeking around it.

  “Yes, Meri, I was referring to you,” he said, smiling. “So get your flawless orb over here.”

  Whorls of pink blossomed within the murky yellow glow, and she wobbled through the air toward him.

  He watched as she floated closer, seemingly equal parts worried and thrilled.

  With his Prime gently supporting his back, he opened his arms wide for the hesitant Core. After a brief pause, she rushed forward and pressed against his right side.

  “Gabriel! You came for me,” she said, her normally chipper voice wracked by pained sobs.

  “Of course I did, you’re my Dungeon Core, and I’m your Dungeon Master, right?” he said with a chuckle.

  She sniffled. “Ye… yeah, that’s right, you’re my Dungeon Master, and I’m not letting anyone steal you from me. Not ever!”

  He froze at her odd statement.

  Behind him, Sthuza squeezed him tighter, clearly sensing the wrongness of Meri’s concern. He rubbed the sobbing orb soothingly.

  “Are you talking about that arachne?” he asked slowly, once the distraught Core calmed down.

  Still pressed against his chest, she wiggled side to side.

  “Then what are you worried about?”

  “I felt that dark force trying to claim you—I could hear its creepy voice saying you were theirs. It even taunted me,” she mumbled. Her voice sounded muffled against his bare chest.


  Why does it seem like covering her orb affects the sound? She can project her voice from anywhere in the room.

  “What voiccce, Lady Merideva?” Sthuza asked as she moved from behind him.

  “Uh,” Gabriel said before swallowing at his Prime’s gaze.

  “Isss there sssomething you need to share, Massster?”

  “I’ve heard that creepy voice a few more times now,” he confessed.

  Sthuza stared at him for a moment, visibly struggling to compose herself. “Other than the two times you mentioned?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why did you not tell me, Master?”

  He sighed and wilted. “Because at first, I wasn’t sure it was real. It was after we slept together. I thought it was a bad dream, remember?” he said.

  Sthuza nodded. “But, you have heard it frequently?”

  “Yeah, I think it was what pulled me down into the Swarm levels.”

  “And why did you hide this?”

  “I thought if I didn’t explore again, it wouldn’t matter. Plus, I was starting to wonder if I was going crazy,” Gabriel said.

  Sthuza stiffened, all her head-snakes turning their tiny green eyes to glare at him and hissing. “You are not going crazy, Massster! If you ever fear anything odd is happening, pleassse tell me, I will help you,” she said, emerald eyes flaring as she stared at him.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through,” he replied.

  She nodded. “I am not angry, Massster, but you are mossst preccciousss to usss… to me,” she said, trailing off into a nearly silent whisper.

  “But tell me more about the voice you heard,” Sthuza said after a brief silence as she gently stroked his cheek.

  “It knew I was a Dungeon Master, asked if I was sure about not wanting to change anything. It had this harsh, irregular nature; it was pretty damn creepy.”

  “Yeah, the one I heard was like that,” Meri whispered. “It said Gabriel was going to leave me. That it’d take him from me, but would leave me alive to watch as he immersed himself in its power.”

  Sthuza hissed, and her head-snakes echoed her. Gabriel reached down and pulled the shivering Core tight against his chest, his good hand wrapped around her warm surface.

  “I already told you, I am not going to leave you, and I’m not going to let whoever or whatever that was take me from you. We’re in this together forever, right?” Gabriel said, injecting all the confidence he could muster, or fake, into his words.

  Merideva sniffled. “You promise?”

  “I promise,” he said solemnly, then grinned. “You wonderful ladies seem to be quite capable of extracting such pledges from me.”

  Sthuza giggled next to him, and he relaxed, tension melting away as his Prime calmed. Then powerful arms snaked around his waist and squeezed, crushing the wind from his lungs.

  “Ack! Cccindra, let him go thisss inssstant!”

  “Packmaster promises Bright Lady and Cindra!”

  After the surprise wore off, he managed to suck down enough air to breathe, barely, and turned to face the beautiful, angry gorgon.

  “And I promise I won’t keep important things like hearing voices from you either, my beloved Prime,” he said.

  Sthuza stared at him. Her snakes were as motionless as she was, all eyes locked on his. Slowly a wide smile spread across her flawless face, and she nodded.

  “That is wonderful to hear, Master. Thank you.”

  ◆◆◆

  When Cindra was satisfied and released them, Gabriel grinned. He turned toward Reyna, who still lay curled up in her corner. “While I’m freely passing out promises, is there anything you want me to pledge not to do?”

  It was hard to be sure, but he thought she flinched at his offer. After a moment, she mumbled something, but he couldn’t even guess at what she’d said.

  He touched the still tender bond which connected them and hesitated. Desire, hate, rage, lust, fear, pride, and more all twisted together, throbbing through their bond.

  A careful moment of study unraveled the spiraling emotions enough to see that she wanted him to promise her something, but she was terrified to say it.

  Gabriel shot a glance at his Prime, then nodded toward the lycan.

  Sthuza frowned, then nodded and grabbed hold of Cindra. “Let go of him, you and I need to discuss something in private,” she said.

  Clearly reluctant, the hellhound nodded and helped him rise slowly on shaking legs.

  When Cindra let go, he staggered toward his newest bonded. She tensed up as he neared, but she didn’t insult him.

  Progress.

  Standing above Reyna, he looked at her for a moment. She remained tightly curled up, refusing to acknowledge his presence.

  He tried to lower himself to the ground next to her, but without assistance, he started to tumble. Reyna jerked, twisted, and reached up to catch him by his hip and unwounded shoulder.

  “Gah, what the crap do you have instead of brains in that stupid dome you call a head?” She snapped from right in front of him.

  This is the closest we’ve ever been, isn’t it?

  She’d caught him at the last moment, preventing him from landing on the stone, but there was barely an inch between their faces. Both stayed unmoving, staring intently into the other’s eyes.

  Up close, it’s easier to see how cute she is.

  Her amber eyes had a feral intensity that combined well with her boyish face and harsh haircut. She had a peculiar charm.

  “Stop staring at me like that fuck-face.”

  And like that, she ruins it.

  “My apologies, dearest bonded,” he replied with a straight face.

  Her eyes widened dangerously, and she snarled at him. Her hands opened and closed repeatedly, squeezing and clutching at him like she wanted to rip him open. But she kept from clawing him up and glanced away blushing, so he counted it as a win.

  “I was coming over because I couldn’t really hear what you asked for,” he said, emboldened by her sudden shyness.

  “Don’t need anything, shithead,” she mumbled, still not looking at him.

  Sighing, he repositioned himself, taking his weight off her and settled back kneeling.

  He reached out and placed his bandaged hand on the side of her chin. When she didn’t lash out, he applied the slightest pressure, turning her face to him.

  Amber eyes filled with unshed tears, she glared at him, her lips trembling.

  “You don’t have to hide your true self from me,” he started, speaking softly as he held her gaze. “I know you’re not going to trust me overnight, but I am grateful for your help. And for saving my life.”

  She twitched, and her eyes grew even wider. “Snakes wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Said she’d just say it was bad.”

  “No one told me, Reyna. I could sense it from what they didn’t say. Now I want you to tell me what you want, I know it started as a joke, but if there is a promise you want, I’ll do my best to fulfill it for you.”

  Reyna opened her mouth, but no words came out, and she jerked her head to the side.

  He sighed. “All right. How about I just make a promise I think you’d like?”

  She turned back, spearing him with an even more hostile glare.

  He couldn’t help but flinch reflexively, and her face dropped.

  “Don’t, I-I didn’t mean to,” she said, her amber eyes looking everywhere but at his.

  “Shh, it’s all right, I know you won’t hurt me.”

  She nodded, and he waited patiently as she composed herself.

  After a minute or two, she looked back to him and flashed a small smile. “Please promise you won’t force me t-to have… sex with anyone outside your Pack… like a whore,” she whispered. Her tiny voice cracked as she spoke.

  Like what happened to her sister?

  He rocked back at her words, then cursed when he saw her pitiful reaction.

  “I’m not going to refuse, Reyna. Was just mad at myself for not anticipating you better.
” Gabriel hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on her shuddering shoulder.

  She looked up again. Her expression was so vulnerable it made his heart ache. “You’ll promise?” she asked, even quieter.

  He nodded.

  “I promise I’ll never pressure you to do anything sexual with anyone,” he whispered.

  Her eyes widened again, and she bared her teeth in a vicious snarl.

  “Uh, what’s wrong?” he asked a little louder.

  “Not a good promise, too broad,” she growled softly, gnashing her teeth.

  Too broad?

  “Then what would be better?” he asked after swallowing.

  Reyna reached up and pulled his face down to hers again.

  She could rip my throat out in a flash, even without shifting.

  “Just what I said, and only that,” she breathed against his ear.

  He nodded as much as he could in her tight grip, then whispered, “I promise that I’ll never force you to have sex with anyone outside of the Pack.”

  Her entire body sagged with relief. She released her grip and took a deep breath.

  “Thanks, snake-lover,” she said before pushing him away. “Now get out of here, you smell like wet dog, ash, and that nasty perfume the green one wears.”

  Gabriel chuckled and shook his head as he climbed back to his feet.

  That one is definitely going to be a handful.

  ‘Indeed, Master, but I trust you will be able to handle her.’

  He blushed at his Prime’s amusement over their bond but turned and shuffled back to join the pair of monster girls still on their bedrolls.

  “What are we going to do about keeping watch tonight?” he asked, suddenly remembering that they didn’t want to leave it to the few remaining goblins.

  Well… if any of the kobolds survived, they might be trustworthy enough.

  “And did any of Meri’s monsters survive?” he added.

  “Lady Merideva and I have already resolved that issue for the moment, Master,” Sthuza said.

  “Kestria and several of her warriors are on patrol. It is fortunate that Lady Merideva had conjured most of the monsters you agreed to. Kestria led the kobolds in a valiant defense. Twelve remain; they are wounded but will manage. And yes, Cuix, survived the battle, though she will need some time to recover.”