Dungeon Bound Read online

  Mana 0.98%

  Hopefully, theirs is lower.

  Vision swimming, he struggled to hold his head steady as he watched the human mages begin separate casts.

  Shit. Seriously? Now they’re going to split their efforts?

  It was far too late to try erecting a shield of his own. He’d given up on that possibility to concentrate on mana efficient counters.

  I’ve used a counter and an attack at once, but trying to counter both would be crazy. Too easy to merge the similar constructs and fizzle both out.

  Straining to interpret their spells, he recognized Kelith’s as an Aetheric Lance, while the woman was weaving a far more complex spell circle.

  Screw it!

  With enough mana left for one potent spell, he discarded any desire to defend. Instead, he forged the last dregs into another brace of the shadowy death bolts he’d hurt the pair with before.

  These glyphs are unnerving, but if they’re maintaining their own spell shields, they might have weakened enough to fail. If they had another caster prepare the enchantments, then I lost before we started.

  Gambling everything on one final attack, he bit his badly mauled lip in concentration. He forced all that remained of his mana through the mithril conduit and into a barely glowing spell circle.

  This is going to hurt.

  He finished his spell and released it at the same time as his opponents. Feeling the last of his mana separate from him as a half-dozen purple-black bolts surged across the room, Gabriel collapsed to his knees.

  His bloody arcane conduit slipped from his nerveless grasp, but he didn’t hear the clang of metal hitting stone. He focused all of his existence on the three spells crossing paths in front of him.

  The woman’s spell was something from the school of Necromancy, and Gabriel shuddered as the dark miasmic wave washed over him.

  Good thing I was already kneeling.

  The necrotic spell sapped what little strength remained in his body. He slumped bonelessly, by luck landing ass first instead of cracking his skull.

  Staggered just behind the rapid wave of death magic came Kelith’s powerful Aetheric Lance.

  Gabriel let out a strained laugh when the missile missed him by over a foot.

  Fool spent that much mana, and he blew it!

  A victorious smirk spread across Gabriel’s weary face at the sight of his own spell, slowly drilling through the mages’ shields.

  Wait, why is he smiling if—

  “Masss—”

  As quick as his elation at Kelith’s careless shot has risen, his heart plunged into a bottomless abyss of despair.

  Both shields shattered, and the darts slammed into the pair of mages, eliciting horrific screams. Gabriel didn’t notice. Jerkily, his body refusing to work correctly, he twisted his neck, looking to his embattled Prime.

  The proud gorgon had triumphed over her challengers. One of the two lay headless near where she’d stood the last time he’d looked. The other slouched in much the same posture as Gabriel himself.

  Sthuza’s sparkling emerald eyes stared sadly at him. Her dark-green lips, stained with blood, were open in a look of shock. She’d dropped her blades and had her long-fingered hands wrapped around the glowing magic javelin lodged through her abdomen.

  He stared numbly at the amazing monster girl as she staggered a step toward him. Then another, one silk-gloved hand stretching feebly for him.

  Despite centuries of isolation and being far stronger than Gabriel, she’d trusted him. Put her fate in his hands. Hot tears trickled out of his eyes, burning their way down his bloody cheeks.

  Her mouth moved, working as though to speak, but even in the stark post-battle silence, the only sound that of faint whimpering, no words reached his ears.

  She took another shaky step before stumbling to her knees. The lance butt struck the ground, driving the magical missile farther through her ravaged body, but she ignored it.

  Emerald eyes gazed at him with such longing and sadness that he could taste her pain.

  Her fear.

  Heedless of his surroundings, Gabriel latched onto the weakening psychic embodiment of their bond and rush toward his doomed Prime. Forcing his way through the connection between them felt like raking his entire body across a rough gravel path filled with shards of glass.

  It was wrong. He wasn’t supposed to do it, but he didn’t care. Getting back to his own body was pointless. They were doomed.

  He’d failed.

  Cindra was down, Sthuza was dying, and Meri would be a slave.

  In that moment, all Gabriel cared about was comforting the heartbreakingly lonely gorgon at the end.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  She was alone for so long, then I fucked up, and she has to experience such pain again.

  ‘Shh, it is not your fault, Master.’

  Sthuza? I’m so sorry.

  ‘You have no reason to apologize.’ Her voice sounded gentler, full of compassion, even a hint of happiness.

  ‘I am truly fortunate to have met you, even if we only got to have these few days. Please think back on me fondly in the future.’ The compassion remained, but her voice was cracking now.

  No, not her voice, her thoughts. Gabriel was in her mind. Or was she in his?

  She let out a sad giggle. ‘Neither, Master. You dragged my consciousness into the Astral Realm.’

  Once she pointed it out, he realized they were floating over a blank white plane. Nebulous clouds of fluffy white fog floated around them, limiting his vision to an arm’s reach in front of him.

  He turned his attention back to his first bonded and felt more tears welling in his eyes.

  Translucent and shaded a soft green, Sthuza looked the same as she had when he first saw her after dropping her disguise that night in her lair. Her snakes were calm, pulled back and styled like the dreadlocks he’d initially mistaken them for.

  She looks so perfect, so beautiful.

  ‘I am flattered that you truly think so.’

  She chuckled wistfully.

  ‘Now I wish I had pressed the issue and bedded you before.’

  Sthuza, I’m so sorry, for—

  ‘No more of that, Master. You cannot keep us here for long. You have too much left to do if you wish to save Lady Merideva and the furry rug.’ Her refined features shifted into a smirk, though her eyes remained sad, filled with centuries of longing and loneliness.

  He blinked at her. Then flinched back when he could still see through his closed eyelids.

  ‘Yes, it is somewhat peculiar. If only we had more time to fully explore the nature of this Realm. Alas, we do not. Now focus on that big-boobed mutt and draw her to you.’

  ‘Packmaster!’ A booming bark reverberated through his mind.

  Without turning, he now stared into the beaming face of his second bonded.

  ‘Packmaster, I found you!’ Cindra ran to him, intending to tackle him as she had so many times before. Then she rushed straight through him before turning to look back, her expressive face drooping.

  ‘There is no time for your silliness right now. Our master needs your help.’

  Instantly serious, Cindra nodded her head and squatted, watching the gorgon.

  ‘Much better. Master has depleted his mana, and with Lady Merideva tapped out, he must draw on his bonded. Which unfortunately means he must tap whatever reserves you have left.’ She stared at the silent hellhound.

  After a moment, Cindra nodded once and shifted into her massive canine form. ‘Take whatever you need, Packmaster.’

  He saw fresh tears tracing Sthuza’s sharp cheeks as she smiled at him. ‘Draw deeply from her. Then you need to return to your body and kill the last intruder.’

  Wait. What? But aren’t we dead?

  She shook her head, the movement dislodging none of her snakes. ‘No, Only I was dying. You pulled me here, and then Cindra.’

  I don’t want to leave you. I won’t leave you to be lonely again.

  ‘That is very
kind, Master, but you must return and claim victory. You must defend your Dungeon Core no matter the cost.’

  He nodded in resignation, unable to resist her certainty.

  ‘Goodbye, Gabriel. I am grateful for the time we had together.’

  His throat tightened. Thank you for everything, Sthuza, my Prime.

  She flashed another tearful smile and waved.

  Before he could ask how to return to the Mortal Realm, his awareness slammed painfully back into his exhausted body.

  ***

  He gasped a painful breath, lungs desperately sucking in fresh air.

  “Oh shit!” Kelith muttered from his left.

  Gabriel blinked his eyes, surprised not to see through their lids. Recovering his sense of self, he stood up, wincing. It felt like every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he felt a welling of power within his mana pool.

  The arcane energy swirling within him had a different quality to it. A quick look at his Interface showed he had almost five percent now.

  Movement in his periphery vision alerted him to Kelith’s location. Gabriel’s last attack had blasted three scorched holes in Kelith’s ornate and now bloody robe, but fresh pink scars contrasted with the ruined fabric. Apparently, the spoiled bully had drunk another expensive healing potion.

  How much wealth did they squander on this assault?

  It only took a moment for him to locate the female mage. Or at least spot her corpse.

  A single glance at the female mage confirmed she wouldn’t threaten him again. The three unsettling projectiles that struck the woman had shredded her torso. Small purple-black blossoms lay scattered about her. Their delicate beauty was subtly terrifying.

  “Why are you struggling so much to protect the Dungeon Core?” the blond noble screamed. Several empty vials lay scattered around his feet, and his eyes twitched. The last attack had disheveled his normally immaculate hair, and there was blood and ash streaked across his tanned face as he glared.

  Gabriel met his gaze, staring intensely into the shorter man’s bloodshot blue eyes.

  “Because she’s my Core. And that was my Prime you murdered,” he said evenly, his dark voice shocking him as much as Kelith.

  “Prime? What do you, wait. Look, we can work something out. Do you have any idea how much power we could have if we took the Core up into the city?”

  When Gabriel remained silent, Kelith took it as encouragement and began ranting about the things they could do together.

  “We don’t have to let my dad have anything to do with it. Just you and me, I never meant any of those things I said before. It was all because Father was putting so much pressure on me,” his voice climbed higher, growing frantic as Gabriel remained silent.

  The crash of a falling stone rang out. Kelith jumped, but couldn’t look away from Gabriel’s blank stare.

  Realizing that he didn’t care about the spoiled noble anymore, was no longer bothered by the slurs and abuse he’d experienced over the years, Gabriel tuned the hyperventilating mage out.

  Instead, he immersed himself in casting the same spell Kelith had used to such deadly effect.

  Smiling inwardly as he imagined the look of shock on the other man’s face, he forcibly suppressed the spell circle he constructed. Casting a concealed spell proved even more taxing than the last time. Given his old goals, he’d never bothered to practice it.

  How much mana did I waste doing this to Gromp?

  It took most of his borrowed mana, but with no one left to fight, he didn’t care. When he finished constructing the concealed spell, he grinned at the still talking noble. “Kelith, all that shit you did to me over the years, even setting me up for Estrial to sacrifice. None of it bothers me anymore.”

  “Yeah?” Kelith asked, swallowing audibly. “That’s great, so we can—”

  “What does bother me is that you killed my Prime, and I’m not feeling particularly forgiving at the moment.” Gabriel released the spell after he spoke, allowing the hidden glyphs to flare before they vanished, materializing a single purple Aetheric Lance.

  “Wait, I’m sure I can—” Kelith protested, raising one hand to shield himself, the other digging into a belt pouch.

  The arcane projectile cut through the air with a sharp whistle before ripping through his outstretched hand. It plowed on undeterred, shredding his lower arm and enchanted robe before plunging deep inside the blond’s guts.

  Kelith screamed in agony as he fell, kicking weakly at the ground. He struggled to crawl away from the Dungeon Master stalking toward him while holding his mangled hand to the horrific wound in his stomach.

  His good hand rummaged through the bag at his waist, pulling out another crystal vial, but trembling fingers fumbled it. The clink as it struck the stone floor rang out like a funeral bell.

  “Please, have mercy!”

  Gabriel paused and stared down at the sniveling man.

  Kelith’s blue eyes brightened for a moment until Gabriel sneered at him.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  A lilting, feminine voice called out. “Wait, you shouldn’t let him die like that, Gabriel.”

  Unwilling to question his unseen benefactor, Kelith bobbed his head in eager agreement.

  “Yeah, listen to her, I-I can be useful,” he gasped, a tortured moan breaking up his plea.

  “He’s right. He could be really super-awesome useful!”

  Is that Merideva? Why would she want to spare this selfish asshole?

  A soft-blue glow brightened the room, seeming to suppress the few remaining lanterns discarded earlier by the intruders.

  “Why should I let him live? Forget about what he did to me, even ignoring him leading the attack on us. He killed Sthuza!” Gabriel screamed, his throat bloody and raw.

  “Wait.” The light flickered once before Meri spoke again. “Who said anything about sparing him?”

  “Um, it might be the exhaustion talking, but I have no clue what you’re on about now,” Gabriel said, his rage calming now that he knew Meri wasn’t telling him to spare Sthuza’s killer.

  “If you drag him over to the altar, I bet you could strip off enough Soul Essence to save the gorgon.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Gabriel’s smoldering rage vanished.

  “Sa-save her?” he gasped. Tears filled his eyes as they tracked back to his fallen Prime. Sthuza lay face down two steps from the altar, unmoving.

  “Yep, that’s what I said. Did your head get muddled?” Merideva asked, concern bleeding into her words.

  He shook himself to settle his racing mind. “No, I, you can save her?”

  “Me? I guess I could,” she replied, her high-pitched voice colored with surprise. “Sort of figured you’d want to do it yourself, but if you insist—”

  “No, I’d love to do it, i-if you can show me how?” he whispered, forcing each word past the lump tightening his throat.

  The dimming Core perked up at his appeal, her glow now overshadowing the last lanterns. With his full attention split between Sthuza’s motionless body and the ray of hope Merideva cast, he didn’t consciously notice as she snuffed the lanterns out as one.

  “What the hells is going on? I thought you wanted to spare me!” Kelith screamed, his voice pitching higher than Meri’s as he watched the enclosed flames flicker out.

  “Why would I want him to spare you?” she snarled, her glow flickering. “You’re just another greedy, filthy, short-lived ape that came in here to steal the ultra-amazing me.

  “First, you tried to kill my chosen, super-special Dungeon Master! Then you killed his super-scary but wise future-Prime, and your people killed my goblins!”

  Her rage spent, Meri’s glow returned to normal, and she hovered back to Gabriel. For several seconds, Kelith’s terrified sobbing was the only sound anyone could hear in the eerily blue-lit room.

  “How do I save her?” Gabriel asked, his voice firm again. Unwilling to risk giving up, if even a chance remained to save her, he forc
ed his pain and despair deep inside. He could deal with it later. After Sthuza was safe.

  “It should be simple, you healed Cindra before, right? The gorgon said that was why you were so drained earlier. You can do the same thing. Just put the sniveling monkey on the altar and sacrifice him first.”

  Gabriel’s heart seized violently in his chest at her explanation. How many more such shocks could he survive?

  “Cindra wasn’t,” he said, choking up. “She wasn’t dead.”

  “So? A soul’s a soul. The body is simply the part mortals wander around in all willy-nilly. You can use his Essence to repair her body, and then some more of it to reattach her soul to it fully.

  “Might want to hurry though. Not sure how long Sthuza’s soul will stay tethered here. Yours was unraveling, so it could be different,” Meri warned, hovering over the still gorgon.

  “I don’t think Kelith’s a virgin.”

  “That only mattered for the specific ritual needed to lower the ward guarding the Domain Crystal. And I’m still super angry that you went and let your slutty girlfriend kill you just to steal my crystal!

  “You should have more self-respect than that.”

  Struggling against the repeated highs and lows of emotional turmoil the oblivious Core was triggering, Gabriel swallowed and nodded. Then he turned and stalked over to the sobbing, bleeding wreck of a mage.

  “No, let me go! Please!” Kelith screamed in response to Gabriel’s crushing grip on the smaller man’s ankle.

  “You brought this on yourself,” Meri teased, her glow shifting to a spiral of deep blue and crimson red. The swirling colors set off a disorienting shifting of shadows and undulating light in the dim room.

  “I didn’t—” Kelith screamed. His words morphed into a muffled howl of agony when Gabriel jerked him forward, slamming his battered body against the black stone altar.

  “Yes you did, I saw it when I bonded with my Dungeon Master!” Merideva continued with perverse pleasure. “You set him up to have his soul shredded so they could steal my Crystal!”

  Somewhere along the line, she shifted from angry at how Kelith wronged Gabriel, to ranting darkly about mortals daring to plunder from her perfect, awesome, superior self.