Zoey, however, talked of nothing but the mummy. Which I found a bit concerning. Becoming a necromancer had changed her. Most elvath were resolute in their paths of vengeance, freedom, and furthering the species. She… was different. Maybe because of her youth, or never really experiencing what the others had. I tried to bend her back to the fact our children would miss her, but she deflected, and it concerned me.
There was sunshine on the horizon though, not literally, that was rain. The bright spot was Jason had a very interesting bit of information for me. The Goddess of the Cavern dungeon had just been cleared. Which was bad news because I wanted the damn army orb for the nagas. That was the only downside.
The team that cleared it was a random pickup group that spent a full week fighting the dungeon. They were so overjoyed with their victory Jason had no problem finding their echoing boisterous talk. Apparently, they were retreating from the depths of the dungeon without much worry. We caught one scout sent to clear the way out and they didn’t even notice he never returned.
So we sat waiting, inside the cave itself at an early intersection not far from the entrance. I leaned against Nicole’s staff while listening to the jovial team celebrating in their victory. Apparently, based on what the squealing scout said; for many of them, this was their big break to getting into better guilds. Shucks, it almost made me feel bad. Almost.
The reason why I didn’t care so much was because they literally walked right into our ambush point, and further into it. They walked by soldiers in formation. A few noticing and pointing but the group lacked central leadership that would normally set more than one scout. Or at the very least notice when the only scout never returned.
“Axle, three quick beats and a long one,” I said, solely focused on the group of idiots.
The drum was slammed and the sound echoed throughout the dungeon. The pickup group went defensive on instinct. Finally, they realized they were suddenly in trouble.
My forces marched forward. Crossbows leveled and at the ready. The opening side they came from was closed and the trap was complete. A hundred souls doomed to my whims. They understood, most of them immediately lowered weapons, hands going into the air.
“We paid the Dastardly Masters,” a frustrated voice said with a long grunting sigh at the end.
I heard murmuring that we were probably Inquisitor affiliated.
I stepped through the unit. My path forward was allowed by a section of turned dvaren, my guards stayed close behind me. For giggles I spawned Kor in the no man's land between the angry dungeon farmers and my forces.
“Hey! Killing those desert things was fun! These are real right?” Kor asked, a tad confused. Yes, this would do nicely.
“I have a problem Kor. These are indeed real people with real families. They have dreams, ambitions, and loved ones to go home to. Unfortunately they also have loot from a dungeon they just raided, orbs around their core, and weapons I could pawn off,” I said with a wince.
“The old you would have just slain them, let their families cry,” Kor said and I nodded. Probably true. “What is the plan? Do I start killing?”
A troll stepped forward to say, “We’re without a single leader. We designed the party this way. It worked great and we even paid the DMs for an entrance guard. I take it you killed them or captured them?”
“DMs?” Zoey asked
“Dastardly Masters,” the troll replied.
“Joob? The bunny eared man?” I asked.
“Huh? No, Joob was sent to tell us what the weather was like,” the troll said with a scoff.
My mind was catching up to the situation. Their scout wasn’t a scout, they paid off some half assed authority on the planet who did a half assed job. They were confident in their ability to finish and never considered we would ambush them.
“You’re all fucking idiots,” Zoey said from behind me. Which was an entirely true statement. Harsh, but true.
The troll folded his arms. “Is that a legendary necro -” He paused while others gasped. His throat gave a visible gulp. “I don’t have the loot but here is my staff and I’m setting my orbs down. May I go see my daughter tonight?”
“I cannot guarantee what happens between here and your home, but you will be given safe passage out,” I said, halting him from walking away. I could see him trying to calm his nerves, my stiff arm worried him. “On the condition the loot is handed over.”
“Weak,” Kor grumbled and I returned him to his orb. The big hydra slithered into my chest as he shrank.
“That is a legendary hydra, and a legendary healing staff. Who are you guys? Did the DMs send you?” the troll asked, his frightened face twisting with a different glint in his eyes. Yeah, I saw that. There was a hint of excitement.
“Know you were given a very unfortunate turn of events. We weren’t sent by anyone. We wanted the same thing you did, a quiet place to farm loot and levels to gain in prowess. It seems I brought far more soldiers than needed,” I said and a scoff came from within the group.
“I’d rather die than give up this loot. I need this to pay off my debts to Marco,” a lithe flowery type woman said in disgust. She was no taller than five feet and it appeared she wore a petaled hat. Except the long petals were natural, not hair, more like a flower shade. “You’re pathetic Panar, we talked about this very thing. We decided we would fight before we would give up our hard earned rewards. This was our last hope for many of us.”
There was sadness in her voice. The kind that tugged on one's feelings. I groaned at her pent up frustration.
“I take it you have the loot?” I asked the forest being who was strumming her bow. Maybe she was part mushroom or something. So many aliens here it was hard to track them all.
“And I’ll die either way. There is no -”
“Enough,” Gemini demanded, walking up from the front line. She flared her level to those around to see. There were whispers of thirty three thousand plus to those in the back who missed the reveal. “I’m ancient, I’m experienced, and I’ve been in this situation before. If we slaughter you, Zoey gets thirty thousand levels.
“If we let you go without the loot we look weak and we are stuck waiting for this cave to respawn. Instead, you can keep your loot, gear, and items.”
“They can?” I said just as confused as the others.
“Really?” Panar the troll asked.
She held her hands up and nodded with a wide smile as if everything was perfect.
“Yup, we leave the cave, and then we head to another planet close by for a new dungeon. This is a forest one with bears, lots and lots of bears of all types. Some nice earth orbs in there. A level six hundred dungeon meant for an army a quarter our size. The boss loot is lackluster… but, we’re not interested in killing this boss,” Gemini said with a finger wag.
I pulled her over and away from our prisoners.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a huff.
She rolled her eyes and said, “I'm recruiting while moving this forward. The longer you debate, the longer this becomes a problem. This was a standard tactic of Inquisitors. We find a group, defeat them, and offer the survivors a tryout. At the very least we get more soldiers for the fight.”
“We do have enough gliders in the airship. Is this bear dungeon worth it?”
“Beargor the Bearish is a dungeon that is hated. Actually most generals seethe to do it mainly because of the drops and the lackluster loot. The boss drops blues consistently and he will have a few villages we have to roll through to reach him.
“Six hour flight, twelve hour fight probably. Then we go home and regroup. The alternative is you kill all these guild-less fodder and we wait a full day for both spawns to come back up,” Gemini said and it flustered me.
“How do we keep these converts from killing us in the middle of a boss fight?” I asked.
She shook her head. “This is common. Trading capture for work. Tryouts for free. They keep old loot and get nothin
g from killing Beargor. Technically we don’t either. Machew himself will buy Beargor’s orb if you get it and -”
I held a hand up, mentioning the boss of the Inquisitors was telling. “I understand, old loyalties. And -”
“You’re wrong,” Gemini said, reaching into her bust. Her cleavage was minimal as it was mostly hidden by her armor and her digging was fun to watch. She handed me a note.
“I see you’ve been talking to Nicole,” I said opening the letter with a frown. “The notes in the bust was something I said in confidence and happened to miss dearly.”
“Nicole said this would get my point across. I’m not for Machew. I am not for the Inquisitors. I am team Gryff.” My name was said loudly. Gemini whispered, “So much so, I want your child far more than that one ever did.” Giving a head incline to Zoey.
“Careful, that’s my baby's mother you’re indicating, but you have a point. If Nicole trusts you so thoroughly I have to also. She… She has been with me the longest now. If she erred on your motives then I’m doomed because she failed,” I said with a sigh handing her the paper back. “I’m heading to the surface to spawn the blimp. Stay here and sort this mess with Zoey. Get them to agree or kill them for her staff.”
“You didn’t sign this,” Gemini said and I smirked.
“I’ll be on my bed in my private suite, well one of them. I will put a baby in you right after I sign that,” I said and it was her turn to be shocked with a gulp. I let her think about that while I found my air mage. “Follow me Kata.”
“Of course, boss. Where to?” She asked while we left the surrounded troops. “Oh, I just saw a blushing Gemini, did she woo you to her side.”
“You’d think by this point, I’d be used to women throwing themselves at me. I’m just glad Nicole found someone she believes in.” We walked up the incline, the rearguard leading the way. “Kata, you’ve been with me for a while now. No other lovers, and yet no children.”
“Ah, well… I’m working. Zoey did a pretty shitty job trying to protect you when she was the size of a house,” Kata reminded me.
“Ha, she quit, step below the shitty job. Yeah, I’m tempted to stick another baby in her in the hopes she adjusts to her current children, and then…”
“Umm… Probably hold off on that. Gemini though, yup. A hybrid celestial human would be a very pretty baby,” Kata said approvingly.
We made it to the exit and I spawned the blimp. The smaller blimp reacted quickly to get aboard before the army could. Kata and I walked up the ramp, Harmony running from one of the formations to join us.
“Hey my sexy kitsune. I need you to run down to Gemini and ask where we’re going. Then plot the way. When we’re in travel, I want to -”
“Ravish me!” Harmony said, bouncing her eyebrows. “Certainly. After I get us on the move. I got almost a hundred levels!”
She yelled the last bit diving down into the cavern at a run. The Scorpion Queen was awesome for levels, the loot was decent, but we needed more. I sighed, returning my focus to the conversation with my Naga on and off lover.
“So are you both taking birth control for your careers?” I asked.
“It’s more complicated than that, but yes. We love the attention, the closeness of a harem family. But… no children for us. We also will not be going home with you, and I don’t think Zoey -”
“What?” I stopped nearing the stairs to head up the blimp. “Shit, I actually have seen the signs. There is always hope though.”
“The moment she leaves the master verse you’d strip her of everything she has become. She never wanted babies after she became a necro, just your cock. By that point she was already pregnant,” Kata said bluntly.
I kept moving, accepting the situation. “I’m going to be honest. I have a full bed at home, makes this harem seem tiny. Nicole will be upset that she is no longer the alpha girl. Mysti… What is Mysti going to do?”
The answer was obvious to me but it felt good when Kata said, “You’re her rock now. Her husband. Zoey is going down a dark path. There are rumblings from her that she thinks… That she…”
“Believes she is the harbinger?” I said taking a guess.
“If she becomes powerful enough, and you give her undead armies. She can summon four armies of the undead when her staff goes divine. She’d be nigh unstoppable with just the smallest of teams,” Kata said in a somber tone.
We arrived on my suite floor and I opened the door for Kata. The interior was changed slightly. There were still the hot tubs and the small water fountain pool. There were three new beds, extra large in size.
“She could be right. Maybe I should let her turn into the monster she seems to be holding back for me,” I said contemplating the issue. “Half a million floors. That is a lot of people to execute.”
“She’s got half that. Gemini wasn’t wrong when she said Machew would pay oodles for the army orbs. A single orb would be enough to make her staff divine with cheap sacrifices,” Kata said and I shuddered. “Right, even given the concept a thought is savage. I’ll guard the door.”
I walked into the suite expecting for there to be some relaxing time. However, I still kept my glider on which meant the bed was dreadfully uncomfortable and I left for a bench seat by a bar to collect my thoughts. Zoey leaving was fine for a brief moment, and then painful in the next. I would fret over it, but she was a grown woman. Our children would probably go with me… My audible sigh was became louder with a growing frustration. I was still lost on how to win my ticket home.
I needed to disturb the two party balance. Sure I knew it had been dwelling on my mind. The problem was what the heck did I do if I suddenly became rich. Was Zoey my ticket to winning this thing? I didn’t even realize she would be able to summon a necromancy army and sure she could do four but she was only six hundred and something. Not forty thousand or whatever.
After probably fifteen minutes of me trying to come to some shining ‘Ah Ha!’ moment, Gemini entered the room.
“The troops are loading up, twenty minutes until lift off.” Her walk was confident and direct for the bar. “A drink?” Gemini asked, and I nodded. “Whisky neat, correct?”
I nodded again. She downed a shot before pouring herself another. The clap of the glass on the counter still echoed in the huge room.
“I killed three of them. I made them swear an oath to not harm others in our group, do their duty to their best, and to never try to steal, rob, or cheat us. Out of the 107 only three were pulled aside. I then said I was using a truth orb. The one in the middle informed the group they were hired by one Mario, or was it Macro, anyway.”
Another shot went down and another shot poured.
“They were planning on robbing the loot during cash in or something like that; were sworn to try for their own debts. I killed them without another thought. Zoey got some levels and we moved on from the corpses to load up.”
My slow walk for my drink had her blushing. “Are you nervous?” I asked.
“I’m old, nothing on Nicole, but old. I’ve tried it all: anal, threesome, orgy, harem, reverse harem, and even had sex in an active volcano. Never once have I taken my control out. A dam of sorts. Nicole removed it for me about a month ago when I was supposed to get some time with the two of you,” Gemini admitted sadly. “You ended up on that sudden dungeon opening for the -”
“Jungle dungeon of insects. Aw, really? I super would have taken a new sex partner over ten foot tall mosquitos,” I said with a scoff. “Well.” My shot washed down my throat, my cup hitting the counter for more. “We should wait for the void to have fun. I don’t -”
“Want to fuck with gliders on, that would be a first,” she said with a wink. Gemini put a hand on my forearm, her other hand stroking her horn. “The horn. Forewarning. I know it's a horn. I know it fits in a palm.” Her pause was filled with a stern look. “Think of it like hair. Slight yanks or shifts are fine. If you tug hard, the sex stops and I have to get healed. Got i
t?”
“Got it, be gentle with the horn. I have to admit, letting someone get close to me… has me on edge. I’m going to trust you, because if Nicole told you about the letter then she trusts you. At the same time, I’m not a fool in my trust. What is this planet called and why did you want to go there?”
She shuddered after gulping down a large shot. There was a long exhale with understanding eyes. “The planet is called Maswe, and it is a diverse place with numerous biomes. Couple of things to cover now that we are off Thur. What I mean by that is expanding our farming grounds and where we should be going.
“Anything under a thousand in levels is trash. Farming with an army should always be done at a level far greater than the combined forces. You saw this with those nitwits we captured. I guess I should go into them first.
“Trust me when I say this, many of those that we captured and are forcing to fight with us can be redeemed. The lack of a proper guild with regimented standard operating procedures like lookouts, scouts, and proper planning is not the fault of the individual. It takes leadership to pull off a cohesive army. Which if we provide, they may shine. Time will tell.
“Those nitwits kicked the shit out of a dungeon slightly higher than them with about ten times less troops than they should have brought. They didn’t lose a single member until we showed up. That should let you know how easy these army dungeons at this level can be.”
I grunted and scuffed my fuzzy beard. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I was going to have a briefing with you and Nicole after this excursion,” Gemini said with a shrug. “I wanted you to get your proverbial feet wet, learn a few things, and to let the army ease into fighting as a unit in these bigger dungeons. I’ve been with Awesome Adjective Annihilators for five months. We’ve taken things slow as a guild. Which I think is wise, said so earlier.”
My shrug was given an eyebrow raise. I replied, “Okay, I get it. Let me learn the ways, the army sees it was easy, and then shift to experience things like a harder dungeon.”
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