Dungeon Bound Read online

  That’s bad.

  “You were trying to manipulate my DM!” Merideva shouted.

  The bright-red Core raced around the altar to hover in front of Sthuza’s face. “You’re trying to turn him against me, aren’t you!”

  “Wait, calm down, Meri,” Gabriel said, reaching out to interpose an arm between the enraged Dungeon Core and his Prime-bonded. “We can’t afford to be fighting amongst ourselves now.”

  “I meant no harm, Lady Merideva, and in my defense, you were deceiving him quite significantly. At the time, I believed my advice to be sound.”

  The small crystal ball vibrated menacingly, producing an earsplitting hum as she screeched at the gorgon.

  “Cut out that horrible noise this instant!” Gabriel commanded, shooting a worried glance at his second bonded as Cindra curled up on the stone floor piteously, clawed hands clamped tight over her sensitive ears.

  Meri’s screaming cut off instantly, allowing them to hear the hellhound’s wounded whimpering.

  Orb turning from red to blue, Meri moved to retreat. Determined not to let this continue, he reached out and snatched her in mid-flight.

  “No running away. You need to apologize for behaving like that,” Gabriel said firmly, striving to keep his voice from sounding harsh.

  “Aww! Do I have to?”

  Without saying a word, he continued to stare down at her, holding her gaze.

  Wait, does she have a front, or does she see all around her?

  “Okay,” she whined. “I’m sowwy I yelled.”

  “It is fine, Lady Merideva, I understand your concern. I assure you I have no intention of inciting discord between you and my master. Though I must confess that my primary loyalty will always be to him.”

  Meri sniffled. “Really?”

  “Yes. I have seen the horrors that can arise from conflict within the command structure of the dungeon. I would never risk causing such catastrophes,” Sthuza said, her voice thick with sadness.

  The gorgon bolted upright, her face tense as she stared at Gabriel.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “What’s wrong now?” Gabriel asked, brow furrowing.

  Sthuza’s bright-green eyes stared through him, her face slack.

  Cindra crawled over and pressed in close. “Snakey lose her marbles?”

  Do monsters play marbles?

  “I don’t know,” he replied without glancing away from the unblinking gorgon.

  Head-snakes twitched, and she blinked rapidly, a fearful expression marring her regal face.

  “Master, we have other concerns to worry about,” she hissed softly.

  He looked at her, but she cut him off before he could reply.

  “We have focused on the threat posed by the Swarm, which is a long term concern. And on the need to recover the stolen Domain Crystal, a far more pressing issue.”

  “Yeah, I get the feeling this ‘Swarm’ issue is a big deal, but recovering that crystal so Merideva can control the dungeon is definitely more important.”

  Sthuza nodded, her angular eyes darting down to the Core still held in Gabriel’s hand.

  “Yes, unfortunately, we also have to worry about greedy adventurers,” she said, spitting the title like a curse.

  “What about them? Don’t they delve the dungeon, kill monsters, and then leave?” he asked.

  Might be a good idea to have her explain why they challenge dungeons. And why the Dungeon Cores encourage the behavior for that matter.

  “That is yet another topic I will add to your Dungeon Master curriculum. The more important issue at the moment is how did this Estrial learn of the vulnerable crystal? Where did she discover the ritual needed to break its shielding?”

  He blinked.

  How did she?

  Thinking back to the night when he first met Estrial, he couldn’t recall the seductive sorceress explaining the source of her knowledge.

  “I am not expecting you to know, Master,” Sthuza clarified, a small smile on her lips.

  “I fear that she must have had help to discover it. Unless Lady Merideva has seen that party exploring the floor before?” she asked, glancing down at the subdued Dungeon Core.

  Still glowing a dim blue, the small orb wobbled back and forth. “No, none of my goblins had ever seen any adventurers like those since I got here.”

  The slender gorgon sighed and leaned against her bonded master. “That is what I suspected. Estrial likely discovered the secret to stealing the crystal from a Diviner.”

  “I’m not certain, but I didn’t see her practice Divination. None of the others had any specialized magical skills either,” Gabriel said, frowning as he thought back.

  Cool snakes pressed against his face, gently stroking at his skin, providing a surprisingly soothing comfort. Eyes closed, he luxuriated in their tender caresses, his frown slowly melting away.

  “Do not fret too much, Master, while this is another serious threat, I believe we can triumph. But to do so, we must remain calm and focused.”

  Nodding, he took a deep breath to relax, then glanced down to the dense orb locked tight in his clenched hand. “Sorry, Meri, I didn’t hurt you did I?”

  Her color brightened. “No, it didn’t hurt at all.”

  He let go of the polished gemstone, but to his surprise, she didn’t attempt to move away.

  Perhaps noticing his gaze resting on her, soft pink splotches began to swirl amid the darker colors. “I-is it all right if I stay here for now?”

  “Sure. Make yourself comfortable. I expect we still have a lot to discuss.”

  “Yes, Master, we do indeed have much to go over, though the first thing is what it means if someone else directed Estrial to the exposed crystal.”

  “Even if others know about it, why does it matter at this point? They already stole the crystal,” Gabriel said, mildly distracted by the Dungeon Core trying to burrow into his stomach.

  “It may be nothing, but if they learned of the crystal, they might have also discovered Lady Merideva’s location. As well as the fact that current circumstances leave her hideously exposed,” Sthuza said, her tone grim.

  His mind raced with thoughts of the domineering organization summoning Adamantite-ranked parties to slaughter their way to Meri. “Do you think the Guild might try to destroy her?”

  That drew an angry growl from the hellhound.

  “No one hurts the Bright Lady!” Cindra barked, her deep voice echoing off the bare stone walls.

  He reached down, laughing, and rubbed the rumbling monster girl’s head, ruffling her thick mane. “That’s right, Cindra. Merideva is part of our Pack now, isn’t she?”

  She nodded vigorously but kept her head pressed against his hand.

  “Indeed, Master. However, the Guild would never seek to destroy a Core, as that would reduce the source of their wealth and power,” Sthuza said. “The threat is if some third party has discovered the presence of a second Core and desires it for himself.”

  “Why would anyone want to steal a Dungeon Core? The crystal I sort of understand. I vaguely remember something about a crystal that can be used to manipulate the surrounding lands.”

  Sthuza nodded, head-snakes mimicking her and almost making him laugh. Her lips twisted into an unamused smirk, and he laughed when she turned and stared at one of the offending snakes.

  “Snakey is funny!”

  “I am pleased to know that I could have a career as a jester if being your Prime-bonded does not work out,” she muttered darkly.

  Suppressing his amusement, he shook his head and pulled the pouting gorgon close. “I didn’t mean to laugh. It was a surprising sight.”

  She let out a sigh, but her slit-pupilled gaze softened. “Back to your question, Master. Dungeon Cores can be a source of incredible power. While a Domain Crystal can be used to enhance and modify a region, a Core can affect Aether directly. I do not know of any actual examples of a captive Core. Still, enslaving one should be possible.

  “If a wealthy noble o
r powerful mage managed it, they could tap into the Core’s ability to create from pure Aether. It would give them the advantage needed to conquer a kingdom with ease. Maybe even an entire continent.”

  Gabriel looked down at Meri’s Core, a wide grin spreading across his face.

  The orb darkened in a heartbeat.

  “Don’t you dare sell me!” she shrieked, darting into the air and hovering well out of reach of the sitting DM.

  His teasing face switched to concerned in a heartbeat. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Meri. I was just teasing. Wait, how did you know what I was thinking?”

  “She cannot read your mind, Master, if that is your concern. But she no doubt received an unpleasant emotional impression of your intentions just then. Combined with that grin on your face, it would not be hard to imagine your thoughts,” Sthuza said, her melodious voice rich with mirth as she snuggled against him.

  “Sorry, I just figured it’d be funny to tease you about it, I promise I’m not going to sell you.”

  “Y-you better not!” she said, but floated away from the rough stone ceiling and hovered near eye level.

  “I won’t. You saved my soul. Plus, I never would have met these two amazing ladies if not for you,” he said, hugging the comfortable gorgon while giving Cindra another affectionate rub.

  Seeing them grow calmer, he smiled to himself and concentrated on solving their problems.

  We have to protect Meri’s Core, but the dungeon isn’t ours yet, so the rest doesn’t matter right now. If we want to survive long-term, we’ve got to recover the stolen crystal. That’s definitely our most pressing issue.

  The whole ‘Swarm’ threat sounds like it could be our most significant problem in the long run. But a hostile Core and a bunch of insect monsters dozens of floors below us won’t matter in the slightest if we get killed or driven out by adventurers.

  He took a deep breath, then blew it out in a rush.

  “Thanks for bringing up the possibility of someone targeting the Core. We’ll need to work on defenses to protect Meri. But right now, our focus has to be tracking down Estrial and recovering the crystal,” he said at last, drawing his companions’ attention.

  Sthuza nodded, sighing. “I agree, though I am gravely worried about Lady Merideva’s safety without us here. Frankly, it is amazing that she has survived this long without a Domain or any real defenders to speak of.”

  An indignant squawk alerted them they had spectators.

  Gabriel and Sthuza both blushed, the gorgon hastily pulling back from him and making a show of straightening her dress.

  The hellhound’s gray face lit up with a feral grin, her head snapping up to stare at the offended goblins cowering near the ajar door.

  “Don’t go chasing down Meri’s minions right now,” Gabriel said firmly.

  “Aww,” she whined, rolling onto her stomach and wiggling her thick round ass alluringly.

  He swallowed, his embarrassment growing as he tried to ignore Cindra’s unintentionally erotic movements.

  At least, I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose. Gods preserve me if she ever learns about seduction.

  Throwing him a lifeline, Sthuza stood up and glared at the provocative fire monster.

  “Master told you no, and he is quite correct. We must focus our full attention on planning and preparing for our quest. You can terrorize the green beasts later,” she said, her tone brooking no arguments.

  The sight of the slender, refined gorgon dictating instructions to the well-muscled hellhound twice her size brought a sincere smile to Gabriel’s face. He let out a sigh of contentment and turned his full attention to his two beautiful bonded.

  I’d never have imagined I would wind up with two such amazing women. Of course, the whole not dying of old age sounds pretty damn sweet too.

  Sthuza shot him a glance as he fantasized about the future, surprising him. But instead of speaking, she merely flashed a happy smile.

  They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Sthuza spoke up. “After the battle with those ghasts, I believe we should spend the remainder of today resting, then start with your training tomorrow morning.”

  Gabriel smiled at her words but shook his head. “I’d love to, but I’m not sure we have any time to spare. Like you said before, if we’d known the current situation, we’d have done more the past two days.

  “We can’t change the past,” he said, then paused and threw an inquisitive look at his Prime.

  She let out a refined laugh. “No, Dungeon Cores cannot reverse time.”

  He chuckled. “It was a thought. Anyway, I need to learn about being a DM as quickly as possible, so if you’re up to teaching today, I’d love to get started.”

  “Of course, Master. We can begin at once,” Sthuza replied, pausing to look at the disheveled goblins cowering just outside of the room. “Perhaps we should start with how to control the various monsters spawned by the Core?”

  “Meri showed me how to do that,” he said confidently, thinking back to the brief lesson she’d put him through.

  Sthuza glanced back at him and raised a dark-green eyebrow.

  He flushed, then chuckled at his embarrassment. “You’re right, perhaps starting with the basics would be for the best.”

  She smiled, her face brightening, and Gabriel stared in wonder for a second.

  I love her smile. That look of despair earlier was heartbreaking. If I want to keep her smiling, I’ve got to become strong enough to protect them.

  ***

  Reacting to how eager Gabriel was, Sthuza led him through the mechanics of controlling and directing monsters via his bond with Merideva.

  They made quick progress, spending a few hours covering the basics. With only minor interruptions whenever Cindra grew bored, forgetting she wasn’t supposed to stalk the terrified goblins. The gorgon got onto her each time, but he just laughed as the furry monster chased the wretched creatures.

  “Before we continue, Lady Merideva, how high has your Domain Power rating grown?” Sthuza asked, turning to face the glowing Core.

  “It’s over five now.”

  “That is excellent. We should look into expanding your Domain to encompass this room soon. After that, it will not be long before you can summon drones and more powerful monsters.”

  “Wait, I thought we needed the Domain Crystal for that?” Gabriel said after she finished.

  “To cement her role as the Core of this dungeon in a reasonable time, yes, we do,” Sthuza replied, a bitter smile on her lips. “But we can increase the power available to her, and to you, by extending her control and dominion over a larger area.”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up a slender hand to prevent his question.

  “Before you ask why we do not just expand in that manner, without the Domain Crystal, her grasp on any territory will be tenuous. Any adventurers delving through it would likely cause a substantial loss of power and influence.

  “Without an anchoring point, such as the crystal, her connection to the dungeon will be far too weak to maintain beyond a few dozen yards. And that does not even include the threat posed by the presence of an infected Core,” Sthuza said. A frustrated shake of her head drove her snakes to hissing and writhing.

  “Okay, I somewhat understand. What about the Domain Power rating, what does that measure?”

  Sthuza nodded at his question, but Meri vibrated as she fluttered in between them.

  “Ooo, I know, I can answer that! The Domain Power rating, which some call the Dungeon Power rating or just DP for short. It’s kind of similar to the ranking structure for adventurers from that silly Guild you joined.”

  “Unlike that stupid method of naming based on metals, dungeons track rank with a number system. Plus, it has way more levels,” Merideva said. She ended with a trilling “Thhhhhhpppppt” that drew a snort from the prim gorgon and a yapping howl of amusement from the otherwise quiet hellhound.

  “How high does it go?” Gabriel asked,
hoping to distract the Core as she seemed to glare at the pair of snickering monsters.

  “Oh, um, I-I’m not sure if it has a cap. The Eternal Dungeon’s total DP is over nine thousand.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive,” he said before the Core’s color shifted to burnt orange, and he fumbled over his tongue at the unusual hue for her.

  “Oh, wait, do thousands come before or after millions?” she asked with a child-like innocence that left him wanting to facepalm.

  “Before, Lady Merideva.”

  “Oh, then it’s over nine billion,” Meri said in such a casual tone that he struggled to believe her.

  “That’s… that’s a lot,” he muttered after a long silence in which the Core rotated what he took to be her face to view each of them as they stared at her.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing is wrong, Lady Merideva. I believe you surprised Master with the scale of the Eternal Dungeon’s power. It is a concept that must be challenging to comprehend for one who grew up human.”

  “Oh well, it’s nothing to worry about. ED’s not an enemy, so it doesn’t matter to us.”

  Her words carried astounding wisdom for someone with a tendency to act so childish. Meri’s ability to flip from child-like ignorance to wise beyond her age, kept Gabriel from deciding just how to view what would be his partner for as long as he lived.

  Which, if Sthuza was telling the truth about the power she’ll have, assuming I can stay alive long enough, might be a very long time.

  ***

  After a brief explanation of Dungeon Power, Gabriel asked his Prime to continue his lessons. He had less success when Sthuza moved on to teaching him to see through a minion’s eyes.

  “Perhaps you are tired, Master?” she asked hesitantly, something clearly concerning her.

  “No. I mean, sure I’m tired. But it seems like there’s a wall or block that’s preventing me from accessing any of the goblins’ minds,” Gabriel said, his voice filled with frustration.

  The gorgon kept silent, nodding, causing her head-snakes to wobble as they stared at him with concern in their small green eyes.