Zoey was using her hand to squeeze tightly with her amazing tongue twirls. There hadn’t been much time for nooky lately, Zoey was more than making up for it. I moaned, my hands instantly wrapping the back of her head. My pushing down was very minor and only increased her fervor.
Aw, I’d zoned out. “So… damn… that’s amazing. Cup my balls.”
Gemini giggled and said, “I need to portal us anyway. We’re high enough to start the transition to planet Wealo.”
When she turned her back Zoey went into overdrive with her blowjob. My shaft was squeezed tight as her tongue worked my tip. She playfully ejected my penis from her mouth to kiss my one eyed monster. Her eyes shot open when she felt my balls pulsing.
“Wait!” Zoey cried out, her diving mouth covered my cock and caused Nicole to snicker.
I was playacting and got a tsk finger wave from a giggling Zoey. The intense blowjob lasted another few minutes before I finally exploded into her mouth. She hungrily devoured my cum, sucking until the final drop.
“That was amazing,” I said, sliding my pants back on. My stretch had me shift to gaze out the viewport. We’d slipped into the dim blackness of portal space. “Alright, back to focusing on this dungeon. What else can you tell me besides it's meant for a small team? Oh, and that the loot is not overly amazing.”
“Overly amazing?” Mysti said with a smile from her rocking chair. I stuck my tongue out at her.
“It’s on planet Wealo. Wealo is a non-combat planet without a central agency to enforce anything. So, be cognizant of the fact that if someone murders you, well, they murder you without an investigation. So when we arrive there will be no landing queue or fees to pay.
“Also, the solar system is literally on the opposite edge of the universe. We’re going to be in flight for over a day,” Gemini said as she found a comfy chair to recline in. “The planet is a dead end much like Thur, and unlike Thur, its fair empty. The dungeon itself is weak, useless, and almost never farmed because the boss is bugged.”
My interest went through the roof with that single word. “Bugged… hmm…”
“So let me read the reports that repeat itself,” Gemini said, opening a dungeon guide book.
“We entered the dungeon on a whim, maybe we would get a big payday, maybe we would find the same problem. Since we were in the area, there was little reason to not give it a try. The levels wouldn’t hurt and the dungeon was said to be straight forward. At least that is what the guide said, and honestly their advice was spot on.
“The caverns were confined to the point we went two wide. The harpies were predictable and easy to dispatch. After a half day of clearing we became lost. Our chalk marks at every intersection disappeared. We figured there was a magic system in place to prevent tracking where you’ve been. We found that understandable at first, and then we noticed our markings were manually removed. A bit of backtracking and we realized something was behind us. No matter how hard we tried we never figured out what was erasing our marks.
“We did find the boss, a trio of harpy men trying to seduce us. I doubted it worked very often, but I had to give them A for effort. We slew them and the exact same thing happened as it did for all the others. No boss drop. We scoured, investigated some more, and even came back with pickaxes to check for seams of ore. Nothing. We got a few orbs, a pet harpy child being the best drop at a green. We left like everyone else, empty handed. Another victim of the bugged harpy dungeon.”
I scratched my scruff while I listened intently. Now I was excited. A good mystery was always fun.
“Thoughts?” Nicole said, bringing me Archer who stirred with a light distraught crying.
I stood to accept my son. A diaper was handed to me that I grabbed with a smile. A terse nod from me was all that was needed. I was not a deadbeat dad. I’d change a diaper and do my part. While being careful of course. I’d learn that changing my sons would result in pee flying high. Being a boy was awesome.
As I swapped out a pee diaper I said, “What was removing the marks?”
Nicole accepted Archer back. She tried to get him to latch but he fussed. Momma went to the ice chest for a bottle to feed him from.
“Your guess is as good as mine. There is another journal entry. Want me to read it?” Gemini asked.
Zoey walked over with open hands and was given the book.
“I’ll do it. The little ones like the sound of my voice,” Zoey said, seating herself not far from the bassinets.
“The worst decision of my life was to go into the harpy dungeon in the Bilmack Plateaus. I was searching for my missing training partner. Echin, was a friend and well, my life needed more friends, not less. So when Echin went missing I decided to try to find him.
“The dungeon is meant for a team of three but I knew I could manage it solo since I was five times the level of the harpies. I went with a month’s supply of food, water spells, and proper camping gear. My wife thought I was crazy to bring so much, yet, that was my style. It had served me well in the past.
“Echin was the opposite, he was a dive ahead, and I’ll be fine kind of adventurer. Because of that I was very concerned when he didn’t return after entering the dungeon. It was not like him to go so long without a simple hello. I guess I should bring context to why Echin attempted this dungeon solo in the first place. Maybe the backstory will help you.
“We were training on archer shots from one log to the next. Shooting off balance is a skill that requires practice. Echin said his local dive bar had the mangiest looking were man he’d ever seen parked in his favorite stool. Instead of being flustered he bought the weary traveler a drink.
“The traveler told him he came from the harpy mines. He said he had lost almost a hundred years of time and had zero idea of how. Just that he remembered going in, and then stumbling out. The only in-between memory was piles of loot. Those three words. Piles of loot. Well, they were enough to send Echin racing to Bilmack with hardly a second thought.
“Me, I had a wife with a kid on the way. So I gave it a lot of thought, to the point I found every bit of information I could. And honestly, I grew puzzled the further I researched the dungeon. It seemed there was a mystery at play, one that left even the dungeon experts and guides confused. You see, my entry will be added. Because what I experienced was different than what they did.
“The guides reported that they traveled a minor maze, arrived at a final cavern, and defeated three gorgeous harpy men in bulging loincloths. Apparently the party was filled with female librarians and sexed up harpies left a memorable impression. They still slew the room and were not rewarded properly. Meaning the boss was either not a boss or bugged.
“The guide team spent three full weeks inside that dungeon, never breaking it, but at the same time, never finding anything to bring a conclusion to the problem. So that left me. Alone, inside the dungeon, and wanting to find my friend. I, of course, decided to not foolishly enter the den without some form or backup.
“I hired a local lizaks team to follow up behind me in five days in case I too vanished. That was the smartest thing I’ve ever done because things got weird quickly. I went in with rope, chalk, and even climbing gear.
“The first few rooms were basic. I sunk climbing hooks into every intersection with a tiny thread trailing behind me. There were the standard level five mobs, easy fodder that I dispatched without issues. The problem was some rooms weren’t spawned. Well, that was the first problem.
“The second was I hit a dead end and had to return from where I came. Except my thread was cut. I figured this was nefarious, and rightfully so, the line was not frayed and the two halves cleanly severed. And yet, whatever was trying to hide my tracks was afraid to face me.
“My embedded hook was firmly in place that was closest to me. When I arrived at the next closest one a shadow fled from trying to dislodge my guide. At this point I realized something was off. A cut string, something trying to remove my way home, and everything was not
making sense.
“Instead of hounding my pursuer and turning them into the hunted, I decided to return to my wife. Being lost in a maze was not my idea of a good time. Except… my way home stopped. You see, I had also been drawing my maze. Without a doubt, it changed. Something that no other adventurer had ever notated inside this dungeon.
“So… instead of taking a new turn, or heading down a new path I went to the blocked intersection and began digging. Yeah, I’m a gnome. I get it. I should be decent at digging. Spoiler, I was not. My arms were meant for being an archer.
“I set a perimeter fire that held whatever shadow was nearby at bay. By day three, I could see the other end of the tunnel and I worked through the night. I arrived in a trapped corridor. A second wall stood in my way. While I was certain this was the path for home, I was not certain as to the what or the why my route was blocked.
“I dug myself free with a partial hole. I heard voices I cried out to. The lizaks I’d hired were on the other side. They helped free me. Except… they were on a second trip. They had returned on day five to clear the dungeon and never found me. Then they returned on day ten at the behest of my wife to check again. What felt like three days, was in fact ten.
“I escaped with the sound of a cackling mad laugh from the path I left. You see, the rescue team flew through the dungeon. They never saw the paths I did. They never found my anchor points that I saw were covered with fresh packed dirt if you looked close enough. So I fled. My conclusion is one that the guild for the dungeon guides said they will hesitantly implement only because they could not disprove my theory.
“The entirety of this report is conjecture and the final words inscribed and to be taken at your own risk. Our warning is clear.”
Zoey paused furling her brows. “Wait, there is more. I just read the warning for his summary as if it was his summary, sorry.”
“The Harpies of Wealo is a unique dungeon. It has a solo mode, and a more than solo mode. Both have a hidden entity in them. I saw the entity. No other team has ever reported seeing anything. It is my hypothesis that the solo adventurers who are shown the trio of males are never meant to find the real boss. The real boss entraps victims at random. To what end, I know not. I merely know the trio of males is not the final challenge. I also know, I’ll never go back into that dungeon by myself again.”
Zoey lightly closed the tome before handing it back to Gemini. I paused to reflect on the story.
“What were you thinking Gemini?” I asked, my fingers dancing on the top of the changing station.
“Statistically, there are about a dozen or so souls that are defeated in that dungeon a year. Normally bodies are recoverable, in this case, they vanish. So… My theory is there is something else besides harpies and it is trapping the adventurers it desires. If you go in with a team you will have to brute force your way through walls probably. I say you dismantle the entire mountain,” Gemini said and I gulped.
“That could take months,” Mysti said with concern.
“It has never been done. Who would dive into a dungeon to intentionally break it? No armies venture to Wealo. There is something broken here. Gryff is a kick down the door and rip the head off his opponents kind of warrior. The alternative is we let him get into a time bend and we’re trapped without him for an unknown time while he tries -”
“We shall try brute force. Is the gnome’s map drawn in there?” I asked and Gemini nodded.
“So be it. Tell Groz to prepare all hands for mining operations. We will use the extra day of travel to build tools. If there are those hesitant of action they can help with mineral extraction. We will tear the plateau down piece by piece. That dungeon will be ripped asunder until I uncover its mysteries,” I said with a clenched fist and a determined tone.
“As the Emperor commands,” Gemini said with a curtsy before heading to brief the others.
“Come your grace, the babies nap, and I desire your cock,” Nicole said, extending a hand to lead me to our private chambers.
“Twist my arm why don’t you,” I said with a smirk.
While I followed the pert ass in front of me, I couldn’t help but wonder. What exactly was the shadow inside those caves?
CHAPTER 14
Wealo was desolate with only three cities you would want to land at. There was one portal in and out that only spawned once a month. Yup, this tiny backwater planet held something amazing enough that the most powerful being in the universe sent me here. The looming question in the back of my mind was still, why?
We arrived and headed straight for the target. I was forced to wait as the others tried to find this hidden boss first. While I had begrudgingly agreed to wait for others to do the heavy lifting I was still determined to visit the dungeon.
The mood aboard the Gorilla was one of focused determination after we docked with the dungeon. It was weird to see our mighty warship attached to a spire in the middle of nowhere. While I waited for my turn to enter I observed a horizon filled with these tanned spires jutting high into the sky. At the base, vibrant green foliage indicated a forest floor resting between the bases of these towering structures.
Knowing my time to go in was soon I inspected myself again. I was geared in mage robes, thigh daggers, and a legendary healing staff. My bag was filled with spare orbs and survival stuff that the gnome in the story recommended.
Nicole and Gemini flanked me as we watched the flood of dvaren heading into the dungeon from our balcony perch. Groz had them going the moment we laid the bridge down between the blimp and the dungeon.
“Dungeon has been cleared,” Gemini said when a flag was waved from the entrance below. She rubbed my arm lovingly. “You ready to go?”
“Certainly. I’m always intrigued by a good mystery,” I replied with a big smile.
I headed inside with the lovely duo sticking close to me. We went directly for a descending stairwell to enter the dungeon. For most of the souls aboard this city blimp, there was little to do besides go on with their new routines. For the army and myself, well, we were going to start digging.
The exit out of the blimp had a sturdy drawbridge lowered until it was a solid platform to cross the short divide. Carts of tools and equipment for mining paused to let me out. A quick glance down during my transition revealed we were about forty feet off the forest canopy below. Posts were being pounded into the spire to build safety ropes to keep folks from falling. I smiled knowing someone was taking extra measures.
We arrived at the entrance to the dungeon to find it held a big staging area on the outside of the spire. Currently the space was filling up with mining gear waiting to enter the dungeon.
This high up only a few birds nestled into the spire’s rising form. The dugout inserts of what were probably harpy nesting areas were mostly empty. Certainly empty of harpies.
Groz stood patiently waiting for me on the platform. A runner arrived with a bag of orbs that were shifted from Groz to me after he gave a quick inspection.
I peered into the bag noticing it was filled with trash. There wasn’t even a single blue orb in the bunch. I handed the bag back to Groz who shrugged.
He grumbled and said, “Yer dungeon is clear, and was exactly as the report said it would be. Trash, and I’m still thoroughly confused as ta why we're here.”
I frowned without anything to add. The pocket over my heart held a rendering of the map the gnome drew of the dungeons layout. I’d contemplated trying to find that poor sap who vowed to never return, until I realized his entry was from over ten thousand years ago. So much for that idea.
The paper unfolded with Groz giving me space to enter the dungeon. Gemini placed a hand on my elbow.
“I understand that this amount of troops has triggered a routine three or more spawn. Gryff, you’re different. I’d prefer if you stayed out here,” Gemini said cautiously.
“Come on now, it will be okay. This dungeon is level fifteen,” I said in a chauvinistic style. “More important
ly. I was told to come here directly. That means something.”
Gemini nodded, pointing for us to go in. When I locked eyes with Nicole she raised her eyebrows with a smirk. She bit her lip when I pinched her ass. We’d been in bed for the entire journey over here, our time filled with pleasure. I inclined my head to gesture that we should go in and she led the way. A cart filled with leenspar pickaxes meant for mining under Riza Stronghold was looted by a stream of dvaren. I grabbed one as did Groz.
The entry tunnel was a plain sandy brown color that flickered under the magical lighting. The first thing the dvaren did was install lighting to brighten the way. We went down three lefts and a right until we arrived at a section of wall that the gnome had dug himself out of.
There were no marks or indications besides where a dvaren was chiseling a door framed with a precision hammer and scoring tool.
“Is this the spot?” I asked, pointing to the working dvaren.
The female dvaren’s eyes lit up and she looked to Groz for direction. Apparently, being the boss and harbinger still had an effect on newcomers.
“Gryff, this lass is Benna, Benna, this is Gryff. He is not evil, well completely evil. Yer safe around him. Ya find the tunnel,” Groz asked and Benna nodded shyly.
She nodded sternly while she grabbed a small warhammer off her belt. She walked to the wall, rubbing a hand over the rough texture. Her small hands were rough and scarred.
“I was forced to cook, fer over a hundred years back on my home planet I was a mining master. Because of dees teets I was told I’d be a cook. Well, ya get to see my mastery at werk,” Benna said hammering the wall with a perfect tempo.
Gryff Boxset Page 179