Half-tuning her out, Gabriel shrugged with disinterest and moved to carefully collect his fallen Prime.
Looking at her, he struggled to breathe, his throat too tight as he gazed upon her bloody face. He reached out and gently brushed one of her slack snakes back to expose her unblemished forehead. He leaned in, placing a chaste kiss as a solitary tear trickled down his cheek.
“I’ll save you,” he promised, his eyes hardening as he spoke.
“Please, Gabriel, don’t do this. Please don’t steal my soul!” Kelith begged, drawing him back to what he needed to do.
“What? You want me to show you mercy?” Gabriel asked, snorting when the whiny man nodded. He stared for a long moment as Kelith continued to whimper and plead. Slowly, he shook his head, causing the man’s frightened face to fall.
He turned to look at his bonded Core. “So, what do I do first?”
“You need to toss that thieving crybaby onto the altar, then you should rip his heart out and eat it!” she screeched, clearly still worked up over her stolen crystal.
Or perhaps she was just mad over what they’d done to her Dungeon Master. A hesitant brush of the bond between them confirmed that Meri could hardly think straight as she obsessed about the stolen Domain Crystal.
At least she’s passionate.
He shook his head and started to withdraw from his connection with her when he sensed the method she intended for him.
Ah, that’s a touch simple, but if it works, who cares?
Eager to save his first bonded monster, he tossed the still sobbing mage on the altar and efficiently gutted the bastard. He copied the same actions that Estrial had gone through when she’d murdered him, mirroring her incisions, though with less precision because of his shaking hands.
And the madly screaming and twisting subject struggling to escape being butchered alive.
Serves him right for all of it.
The dying man’s tortured screams provided a cathartic relief of sorts as he carefully performed each stage of the elaborate ritual.
Kelith grew silent and unmoving a few seconds after Gabriel extracted his heart and set it into the small notch on the altar’s surface. The black stone flared a dark red. Something he didn’t remember happening when he was the one on the altar. As he watched, the gruesome offering burst into shadowy flames and burned to ash in seconds.
Yeah, I don’t think her ‘eat it’ idea would have worked out so well.
Level Two flashed in the corner of his vision, but he swept it aside and focused on the ritual.
In the memory he’d borrowed from Meri, he saw the next step. With a grunt, Gabriel shoved the desecrated corpse to the stone floor. Not wasting a second, he carefully lifted the slender gorgon and placed her on the bloody altar.
The lance which had pierced her belly had long since dematerialized. When he finished adjusting her posture, she looked as though she was merely sleeping. A single glance at her wounded stomach put that lie to rest.
Fighting against the mounting grief, he forced his mind back to the task at hand. When he healed Cindra, he’d used his own mana, very inefficiently, to force her body to regenerate. Of course, then he’d had the very knowledgeable gorgon to talk him through the process.
Now he had an unconscious hellhound and an enraged Dungeon Core who was hovering over Kelith’s bloody corpse making strange spitting noises.
Good thing she doesn’t have any excretions to coat him in… Shit. If any of the goblins survive, she’ll totally do that, won’t she?
Suppressing a shudder of disgust, he tried reaching out toward the cooling gorgon with his mind.
A massive rush of power washed over Gabriel, swirling around him. He blinked, realizing he’d instinctively shifted into his Dungeon Sense and marveled for a moment at the tormented soul of the man who’d caused him so much grief.
The indistinct, vaguely man-shaped form screamed silently, its mouth open wide as it shivered. Even as Gabriel watched, tiny fragments and thin tendrils of energy ripped free and dissolved into the dense Aether of the dungeon. The tormented figure continued to wail in silence.
This is what would have happened to me, if not for Meri. This is what was happening to me. Until Meri saved me.
It took him only a heartbeat to figure out how to tap the soul for power. A soon as he started, the ethereal representation of Kelith froze, its blurry face a rictus mask of agony as a soul-piercing scream assaulted him.
Gabriel forced himself to ignore the cacophonous wailing. Instead, keeping his mind devoted to unraveling the Soul Essence. Power coiling and crackling about him as he worked, Gabriel focused solely on the disintegrating soul while he drained it at a steady pace.
At first, he was tempted to draw it in and replenish his barren mana pool. He discarded that idea the instant he touched the raw Essence.
Definitely not safe to use it that way. Hmm, maybe I can channel it directly into the healing construct? Keep it out of me and out of Sthuza?
Gabriel swallowed nervously, one hand idly wiping sweat from his soaked brow. He carefully teased a slender thread of pilfered SE into the beginnings of a spell circle.
He flinched when the blank casting drank the power up eagerly. Then shivered as a profound sense of wrongness washed over him. Looking at his hands, he clenched them into fists, unable to stop the violent tremors.
“Uh, Meri, I just tried to use his soul for this, and it felt… wrong,” he called out, hesitant, but unwilling to back down.
“Oh? Yeah, you’re not supposed to tamper with souls like this,” she said conversationally. Like she was recommending tea.
“Wh-what happens if I keep going?”
“Um, it will probably feel wrong period? Sorry, I’m not sure how it works. Still, it’ll probably be fine. ED is real big on ‘caramel justice.’ Since that crystal stealer sacrificed your soul, it should be fine to do it back to him, right?”
Gabriel gulped.
That’s not terribly encouraging.
“Okay, I’ll keep going then. And by the way, I don’t know what you meant to say, but I don’t think it’s caramel.”
Tinkling laughter echoed from where he’d last seen the Core hovering over Kelith’s corpse. “Maybe not, but it sounds delicious, so it’s way better than whatever he said.”
Just ignore her for now. She’s given the go-ahead, and you’re doing this. Doesn’t matter how it feels, as long as it saves Sthuza.
Two controlled breaths later, he returned his full awareness to the still blank spell circle.
I do wish I’d paid more attention to the healing arts.
Without any better ideas, Gabriel began to weave a simple series of restoration glyphs. He watched, unable to breathe, as the siphoned Essence flood into the circle.
Now with Cindra, I dove into her with Dungeon Sense, right? So how can I do that now? Trace our bond?
Still feeding more power into the spell, he shuddered again at the foul sensations washing over and through him. It felt like thousands of slugs slithering across his soul, while countless tiny ants scratched and clawed at every inch of his body.
He clenched his jaw and forced out every thought except healing his Prime.
Nothing matters besides saving Sthuza!
As if his subconscious was just waiting for the order, instinct took over, and his hands traced through alien glyphs as harsh syllables burst from his open mouth. A weariness built up within him. Every second of creeping wrongness reminded him of Estrial ripping his soul from him, the unending abyssal torment that awaited.
Like a marionette without strings, he fell to the hard stone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
‘Massster, can you hear me?’
Sthuza! You’re alive… wait, or did I fail? Am I dead?
“What? No, you did not fail,” Sthuza said, her sweet soprano echoing oddly.
Is she above me?
“Packmaster is awake?” Cindra growled, her voice the deep rumble of her canine form.
&
nbsp; “Yes, but do not—” Sthuza said just before he was slammed back into the physical world. By a half-ton of furry hellhound tackling and rolling him off the warm softness of a bedroll and onto the chilly, unforgiving stone floor.
“Damn, that’s cold!” he gasped. His eyes snapped open at the sudden shock but slammed shut again at the intense pink glow shining on him.
“You’ve wasted enough time sleeping, Gabriel. You need to get out and recover my crystal. Your wounds have healed enough,” Meri snapped. At the same time, he felt a rush of warmth and affection cross their bond.
Surprised at the emotions pouring in from the grumpy Core, he spread out his mind and brushed the other two glowing tendrils binding him to the pair of monster girls above him. He froze, flabbergasted at the nearly identical nature of the two bonds. Both were trying to drown him in overwhelming trust and devotion, along with an unsettling amount of lust.
He shook his head, delving deeper into the closest. Once inside, he sensed the fiery passion and loyalty of the lonely hellhound he’d bonded with after an intense battle. Her presence wrapped around him like the silkiest, warmest blanket in all the Realms. The scent of sandalwood and cinnamon incense lulled him to relax.
It took him several minutes to extract himself from her tenacious grip before he more carefully entered the second bond. This time it was like diving into a cool spring, crisp and invigorating. There was just the right amount of soothing chill to revitalize and excite. He barely had time to luxuriate in the tranquil pond before something bubbled up from deep below.
Heart racing at the rapid transition, Gabriel went rigid as dozens of lithe women emerged from the bubbling depths and eagerly embraced him. They clung to him with a frightening intensity, startling him until he recovered enough wits to recognize them.
Each captivating and nude woman was a near-perfect doppelganger of Sthuza. Except for the thick braids of dark hair floating placidly about their heads.
No sooner than he’d noted their startling appearances, they swept back to allow another of their ilk to approach.
‘Master, thank you for saving me. I never thought I would get to experience such closeness and belonging again.’ Sthuza reached out one slender hand and gently stroked his cheek. Her touch paused at his neck for a moment, then continued lower to cover his heart.
Right where Estrial carved me open.
‘Yes, but none of that matters anymore. You are so much more than you were before. More than she is. And soon…’ Her gentle smile turned predatory. ‘We will treat her to everything that she and her lackeys so richly deserve.’
He felt what she felt.
Her pride, passions, fears, desires. She laid everything open to him as she held her hand to his heart. In that timeless moment, he knew her. Knew her in a way he’d never imagined you could know another.
Instinctively, Gabriel realized his inner self was just as open to her.
I, I lo—
Sthuza interrupted, leaning forward and drawing him into a passionate kiss. She deepened the kiss, seeming insatiable as her cool hands glided over him. Everywhere she touched lit up with a strange warmth that countered the chilly spring water. The pleasant touch reminded him he needed to breathe.
‘No, you do not. Not here.’
Where is here?
Unwilling to break their kiss, she flashed him the mental equivalent of a grin. ‘Inside my mind, or my heart? Maybe yours, Master? Does it matter?’
I guess not.
At last, she pulled back, reluctantly releasing his lower lip after a final sucking nibble. ‘And before you try to say it again…’
Her emerald eyes hardened. ‘I want to hear you say it with your voice, back in the physical world. I can already feel it here.’
She smiled, tapping her heart.
Uh, how do I get back?
That made her laugh, bubbles erupting from between her perfect white teeth. The fact Gabriel could hear her carefree, vibrant giggles reminded him they were not actually here.
“Yes, Master, that is how you return to your physical presence,” Sthuza whispered.
A cool hand cupped his cheek, and he carefully cracked his eyelids open. The smiling face of his Prime gazed down at him.
“Welcome—”
“Yay, Packmaster!” Cindra bellowed, her contralto voice less gravelly as she flew through the air to pounce on him.
He grunted, her impact blasting the wind from him as she wrapped her powerfully corded limbs around his prone body. Her incredible heat permeated him as she ground her massive, uncovered breasts against his bare chest.
“And, you had to ruin it, you filthy fur coat,” Sthuza hissed.
“Cindra not filthy! I took the bath today, just like you said, remember?”
His Prime huffed, her firm breasts shifting beneath the thin white dress covering her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, looking to the gorgon. He ran his eyes over her body, and the sexy dress she wore, but didn’t see any sign of injuries.
There’s not even a scar from that cut to her shoulder.
“Your effort at healing me was quite comprehensive, Master. I am rejuvenated.”
Sthuza confirming it eased his mind.
The hellhound in his lap drew his attention back to Cindra. Gabriel was unsurprised when she noticed his growing erection. It was hard to hide, what with one sexy, nude monster girl actively grinding on him while the other was dressed in the thinnest fabric he’d ever seen.
She growled low, grinding harder against his obvious arousal. “Packmaster is really up now,” she chirped, her dark-gray face split by a wide grin.
“Yes, not that it is much of a surprise with you rubbing yourself on him like a bitch in heat,” Sthuza snapped frostily, shoving at the larger monster without effect.
“Don’t worry, Snakey, Cindra is a good girl. I can wait till you go first,” she said, moaning as she dragged her damp sex across his painfully hard member.
“Uh, do I get any say in this?”
“No, Master.”
“Nope!”
He chuckled and smiled at his beaming bonded. “Just checking.”
“Well, you certainly won’t keep on like that in here!” Meri said.
Gabriel’s cheeks flushed at the reminder they were not alone.
Sthuza blew out a resigned sigh as she leaned back from him. “I too would prefer to continue this in a room without a sacrificial altar. I would also appreciate one with fewer spectators.”
“Does that mean I get to go first? Cindra doesn’t care if everyone watches!”
True to her word, the nude hellhound leapt off his lap and spun several rapid rotations. Seemingly satisfied, she stopped and bent over, pressing her hands to the floor and presenting her glistening blue slit to Gabriel’s shocked face. “Packmaster can start whenever he’s ready!”
A resounding slap echoed, and Gabriel turned to face Sthuza.
One pale-green hand concealed her flawless face. She exhaled noisily, then giggled. “Well, she has a certain charming frankness, does she not?”
Laughter boiled up from him, and he matched her near-hysterical grin. “Thank you, Cindra, for both the offer and the much-needed levity, but I need to spend some time with my Prime first.”
The blue-eyed hellhound dropped her bare bottom to the stone floor and turned her beaming face to his. “Anytime, Packmaster. Though Cindra isn’t sure what levy tea is. But if you’re happy, I’m happy!”
A little overwhelmed by the intensity of her affection and trust, he opened his arms to her.
She jumped into his lap, wrapped her powerful arms around him, and promptly smushed his head into the valley between her stunning breasts.
“Eh hm,” Sthuza grumbled, noisily clearing her throat.
Cindra leaned back and ducked her head with a sheepish grin. Freed from the pillowing splendor of her gravity-defying bosom, Gabriel took a deep breath and looked to the smirking gorgon.
“Oh right, sorry, Snakey,”
Cindra whimpered, dragging herself off the flustered Dungeon Master.
“Yeah, no rutting in my Core Room!”
“No offense intended, Lady Merideva, but is your Core Room not still the small cubbyhole behind the altar?”
The bright pink glow dimmed, and the boisterous Core’s volume was much quieter when she replied. “Well, yeah, I guess. Technically. But the leyline nexus is out here, so it’s totally gonna be my room as soon as my lazy DM returns the crystal he gave to that elven floozy!”
This time it was Gabriel’s open palm that swatted the attached face.
She is so damn mercurial. I can’t for the life of me figure her out.
‘Patience, Master. Lady Merideva is still very young, for a Dungeon Core.’
His eyes tried to bulge out of his head.
You can hear my thoughts?
‘Only if you wish for me to, or choose to project them outward. Have no fear; if you desire privacy, I cannot hear even a whisper of your thoughts.’
Not wanting to doubt his Prime after everything they’d just been through, but curious about their strengthening bond, he tried to block her out of his mind. Then proceeded to dream up the most scandalizing thoughts and desires he could muster, keeping a careful watch on Sthuza.
Her face remained relaxed, wearing the soft smile she’d worn nonstop since he woke.
***
Still uncertain after a brief fantasy, Gabriel envisioned the gorgeous gorgon reclining on the luxury bed in the Careless Queen Inn, where he stayed not so long ago. He’d only seen it when Mrs. Spaulding was cleaning, but it was the most luxurious bed he’d ever laid eyes on.
At least until I met Sthuza.
When she still didn’t respond to the gentle lovemaking he imagined, he changed tack again.
Back propped up against the padded headboard, with Cindra’s head between her spread legs, the slender gorgon smiled invitingly. Forgetting for a moment why he was doing it, Gabriel added himself to the vision, pounding his erection into the larger monster’s dripping slit.
Diving deeper into the impromptu fantasy, he enjoyed the meaty thwack of his hips against the thick round ass before him. The longer he let the daydream play out, the more vivid it became. He ran his hands across dark-gray skin, marveling as Cindra’s well-defined muscles twitched and spasmed with each thrust.
Dungeon Bound Page 28