Dungeon of the Old Gods: A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG

by Wolfe Locke

  * * *

  Pain erupted in John’s back as a blade tore through his side. If not for his Body of the Depths and the healing ability granted to him by Seonna, John would have died instantly. The force of the blow was enough to take John’s breath away.

  The Witch Hunter removed the long dagger that he had produced and prepared to deliver another blow, but John blocked it with his thrice blessed axes. John felt the wound already filling up with black blood.

  “What? Why?” John asked in shock. “I thought we were allies.”

  “Allies? You’re just an adventurer. Neither a true knight nor a servant of the Kingdom. It is far more important that I escape this hellish place to find my lord.” Johannes explained as the Witch Hunter readied his blade.

  Before John could ask a single follow up question, Johannes attacked again.

  The two men traded blows, the Witch Hunter’s blade and John’s thrice blessed axes clashing together and sent up sparks. Johannes still wielded his blade, while a long sword was strapped to his back.

  John was agile, but so was the other man. The only advantage proved to be that John had two weapons and he only had one.

  John sidestepped one of Johannes’ thrusts and got into his guard. He was about to bring one of his axes down on the other man, but Johannes intercepted him with a headbutt to the face that sent John sprawling.

  “An ugly move, but warranted nonetheless. It’s your fate to die here and mine to move on.” Johannes said. “I confess. I’ve never been one for close up fights, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to put some distance between us.”

  In one fluid motion Johannes jumped backwards while sheathing his dagger and reached for his sword. John didn’t wait for Johannes to steady himself. He leaped forward, wanting to take advantage of the window in which his opponent was defenseless, struck.

  But Johannes proved to be exceptionally agile. Before John could close the distance, the Witch Hunter’s sword was drawn. Johannes blocked John’s thrice blessed axes and the room rang with the sound of steel on steel.

  Johannes put a gloved hand on John’s shoulder and pushed away. The Witch Hunter displaying a level of strength John had not expected.

  Still, John had some tricks up his sleeves, and he had the feeling that he would need some of them to win this fight and continue pushing forward.

  The two men circled each other with their weapons held before them. This was not like any fight or encounter that John had had in the dungeon before. Always he had had to battle against one creature of the dark or another. Be they undead, minotaurs, or cursed monsters. But he had never had to go toe to toe with another warrior like himself.

  Although he hated to admit it, John was enjoying himself. This was something that he had done repeatedly throughout his travels before the dungeon. This was normal. This was human.

  He had missed it.

  John actually grinned as the two men clashed once more.

  “Don’t underestimate me” Johannes snarled as the two men locked weapons again.

  “I wasn’t. But I will win this.” John said. “I mean to escape all this insanity.”

  “We can still try. You’ve proven yourself powerful, and yet I still survive. We can defeat the giant and go down. It doesn’t have to end this way.” John said.

  “It always was going to end this way. Do you really think I haven’t tried before? This is not the first time I’ve stood in front of this monster. The die has been cast.”

  Johannes lunged forward again; the man’s blade cut superficially across John’s leg. John tried desperately to get within the other man’s reach to counter, but the Witch Hunter’s long sword kept him at bay. The one-time John got inside his defense, the Witch Hunter countered with a backhand that sent him sprawling.

  For someone who said that he was not one for close up fights, Johannes held his own easily. He might kill me yet.

  The one drawback to a big, heavy weapon like a longsword was that they quickly burned stamina. I’m counting on that. Johannes was obviously strong, but the longer he hefted around the sword, the more tired he would become.

  The same could have been said for me. His thrice blessed axes were not exactly heavy, but they would still have worn down his strength over time under normal circumstances. But John was stronger now than he had ever been. Three different gods have bonded with me. I hold the advantage.

  But Johannes did not know about John's increased strength. I can use that to my advantage. Johannes knew John had fought against monsters on the previous floors. The Witch Hunter likely suspected that John was already fatigued after the grueling descent.

  In fact, the brief respite that John had got after they'd run away from the Grey's was enough for him to almost completely regain his strength.

  But for Johannes' benefit, he acted as if every swing of his axes was a struggle. As for Johannes, the man's breathing grew heavy. Whereas John's breathing was less though, though he didn't let that on.

  "Pity." Johannes said as sweat dripped from his forehead. "I would have liked to fight you when you were at full strength. But I suppose I should count my blessings, for a mere adventurer you have merit.”

  "You're not…going to…beat me…" said John through ragged breaths.

  "John, you're already dead. This is just the lead up." Johannes explained matter of factly.

  John said nothing and instead focused on his breathing.

  "Fine, but just remember that you asked for this. You should be proud, but it's time for you to know your place." Johannes said as the man's voice hardened.

  The Witch Hunter darted in swiftly, bringing his sword up in a sweeping arc.

  John made a show of trying to raise his thrice blessed axes to defend himself, but just as the sword was coming down, he rolled to the side, came up in a crouch, and stuck out at the man.

  Johannes, to his credit, reacted quickly. He sidestepped and John's axes bit into his side instead of into his spine where John had been aiming.

  Johannes screamed in pain and quickly backed away, but John was on top of him, pressing his advantage. He slammed the man’s sword away and got in close, bringing both of his axes down in an overhand strike that would end the man.

  But then, Johannes did something that John would have never expected.

  The Witch Hunter breathed ice.

  Chapter 30: Blessing of the God of Winter

  * * *

  John had to jump backwards to dodge the attack. A cone of ice spewed out of the Witch Hunter’s mouth, and only John’s honed reflexes saved him from being frozen solid. Even then, John could feel how some of his skin had frozen.

  John looked at the other man in shock.

  “What?” asked Johannes. “Did you think you were the only one who had god-given abilities?”

  To emphasize the point, Johannes drew his dagger from his side. Then, he held it in front of his face and breathed ice onto it until it glowed a light blue. The Witch Hunter brought the dagger down to his side where John had wounded him and cauterized it with the frosted edge.

  “God of Winter. He made me an offer I would be a fool to have refused.” Johannes said with a mirthless smile.

  “You’re full of surprises.” John said. “What did you have to give up?”

  “Just a promise to bring him to the surface.” Johannes replied. “But you surprise me. You aren’t fatigued at all, are you?”

  “Maybe slightly if that.” John admitted.

  “Just what manner of monster have you become?” Johannes asked.

  “I’ve been asking myself that question since nearly the beginning.”

  The two warriors circled each other once more, now more wary of one another. Johannes was the first to push an attack. He came in with his sword and swung it in a vicious backhand.

  John dodged and once again tried to get in close, but this time Johannes used his frost breath to keep him at bay. For a while, the two men struggled against each other, neither able to get the upper hand that was ne
eded to bring the fight to a close.

 

  Be wary. Just as you’ve a monster form, so does he. The longer this battle is prolonged the more likely the chance that he’ll get the upper hand.

  I don’t want to end it though. The thrill of battle pulsed through John. He had not felt it since he had entered the dungeon. John had thought he would never feel it again. He had thought that he had lost to much of himself. Too much of his humanity. Even if both of us have changed, I can’t help but enjoy it. I never thought I’d live to see myself test my skills against something other than a mindless monster

  On they fought. Drops of blood from each of them matted the stone floor as the Iron Giant watched on. In the end, John got extremely lucky.

  The Witch Hunter fought with the precision of a man who had trained all of his life with the blade. He probably had. No matter what John did, he couldn’t find an opening, but with the strengthening of his body through the bonding, his opponent couldn’t find an opening either.

  Until Johannes faltered first. Not because John was the better fighter, but because he had more stamina. Maybe more drive to survive. Whatever the reason, the Witch Hunter’s guard came up just a fraction too slow, and one of John’s thrice blessed axes plunged into his chest.

  Johannes dropped his weapon, and John wasted no time. He brought the other axe to bear. Johannes fell to the ground, a stunned look on his face as he realized he was dying.

  Just like that, the fight was over.

  John stood above the dying man. “I didn’t want it to end this way. You chose this.”

  Johannes stared back with eyes clouded by hate and by impending death. “I chose to remain human. But you, you will forever be a monster.”

  Johannes coughed up dark blood, his breath coming harder. The man’s face was stained red as the light faded from his eyes and he fell to the floor.

  Of all the battles that John had been through, this had been the hardest of all. Looking down at the fallen warrior, John felt a moment of bitterness towards the man. I’ve become what I’ve needed to be. A blue orb dropped next to the man and it was immediately absorbed by John.

  John knew that the black blood that covered his wounds would leave his body changed. Further from human. But there was at least one thing he could do to halt the process slightly.

  Kneeling in front of Johannes’s body, he withdrew the Witch Hunter’s dagger. After a few moments of work, John turned the dagger on himself. The pain was intense, but the Witch Hunter’s words stuck with him, I need to choose to be human.

  John stood up and blinked, Seonna’s healing magic going to work immediately. Forever more, he would have two different colored eyes. One brown, the other green. The less of Nemesis power I depend on, the better for me.

  John bent down and cradled the body in his arms and walked over to the Giant, who stood over the gateway leading down. “Here. Your sacrifice.”

  The Giant nodded in acceptance. “By the power vested in me by he who dwells below, this sacrifice is accepted.” The giant stretched out his hand and motioned for John to place the body on his palm. The door opened and John stepped through to the other side, not bothering to look back.

  However, for the first time, John did not immediately proceed. Instead. He sat at the top of the stairs and wept for all that he had lost and all that he was becoming.

  Chapter 31: The Doppelgänger’s Labyrinth

  * * *

 

  Interesting. You’ve gained more power. Though Seonna has faded. It will be many years before any of us hear from her again. You have taxed her power. She will rest within you. Let us see how killing the Witch Hunter has affected you.

  STR = 15 - > 18

  WIT = 6 > 7

  END = 19 >21

  AGI = 10 > 12

  Abilities

  ** You seem to have lost the Smite ability.

  Ailments

  *None

  Passives

  *

  Body of the Depths

  Grim Chimera Transformation

  Bonded – Lachesis

  Partial Bond – Nemesis

  Absorbed Power – God of the Hearth

  Absorbed Power – Goddess of Healing

  Absorbed Power – God of Winter

  Equipment

  *Thrice Blessed Axes, Sovereign Medallion *

  Items

  Book: The Book of Keys

  Torn Page

  I can’t help any of that. I can’t even help myself. John did the only thing he could do. He kept heading downward. Into the infinite abyss of this damn dungeon and whatever horrors lay ahead.

  Though the grey film around his eyes had reverted back to normal, John did not even bother holding up his thrice blessed axes for light. He did not think to check for a way out. He just kept his pace, his footfalls a steady companion in the narrow stairwell.

  Why shouldn’t I just die down here? The thought was a constant companion. When John had first found himself trapped, he had felt determined, since then his resolve had lessened.

  After all that he had been through, he was not so sure of himself anymore. He felt the weight of everything that he had won so far. The enchantment on his axes. The Ring of Durability. The Paladin’s shield that he now wore on his back.

  Together they did not come anywhere close to outweighing the burden that had fallen on his mind.

  But what could he do? He couldn’t just stop there on the stairs, curl up, and wait to die. No, he couldn’t allow himself to give up so easily. John promised himself he’d keep pushing on. Even if he died in the process. Getting out of here was not the chief thing driving John anymore. It was the thought of making it through so that he could walk up to whoever the true owner of the dungeon was and spit in their face. Whether it be Aeon or one of these other “gods”.

  What have I become down here that the only motivation I feel that keeps me going is spite?

  But spite was as good a reason as any. If it got him through, then John would take spite any day.

  After a long slog of trudging downstairs, John saw light coming into view at the bottom. Let’s get this fresh new hell over with.

 

  Lachesis – You have other motivations, at least you used to. I can see it in your thoughts. The sun on your face is something I know you have missed.

  Nemesis – Anger. Resentment. Bitterness. These are as good a motivation as any, though I wonder how you’ll react when you find the truth that lays below.

  I’ll just have to find out. John took up his thrice blessed axes, feeling the familiar weight and grip in his hands. These were the only items of his own that he now had here, not counting the clothes on his back. The weapons had been with him since before the dungeon. They had been changed just like he had been, but at their core they remained the same.

  These weapons had gotten him out of some very tough situations in the past. But right now, the most important thing about them was the fact that they were a reminder. A reminder that this dungeon was not all that he knew. A reminder that he had had a life before this.

 

  *Mocking laughter* Was it really a life worth returning to? What did you do, John? One thankless job after another? Kill this. Kill that. Fetch this. Fetch that. Endless quests followed by nights of drinking and whores. A monstrous waste of time. Don’t you agree?

  John gritted his teeth and ignored the voice as he reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at the room that he now found himself in. Torches lined each of the surrounding walls. Counting the one that he came from, the room was in the shape of a cube. Four walls with four doors. Three, if you did not count the one that he had just come from.

  John waited, fully expecting some type of monster or ghastly ghoul to come rushing at him from one of the other doors. But nothing came. Eventually, he grew tired of waiting. If something was going to come at him, he would meet it head on, and on his own terms.

  He walked across t
he stone floor, toward the door directly across from him. He yanked it open and saw… a stone room with three doors. John looked back into the room he had come from to make sure that his mind had not finally broken.

  No. Exactly the same. John closed the door before him and retreated into the first room. He saw the stairs were gone. Where they had been was another stone door. John walked over and opened it, peered inside, and saw the same thing. He repeated the process for the last door. All the rooms branching off were the same.

  Might as well make a commitment or I’ll never get out of here.