Dungeon Bound Page 9

  He stared at her for a moment, then facepalmed.

  “I can see how many via the Dungeon Interface, right?” he asked, sighing.

  She nodded again.

  All it took was a thought, and Gabriel was staring at the translucent green and black text again. This time, the Interface was already open to the page he wanted.

  He had one of the two he could have in total. Below the simple declaration of his current count, Sthuza’s name glowed. He selected it.

  Sthuza Slytheria

  Dungeon Bound (Base Species: Greater Gorgon)

  Sex: Female

  Age: ???

  Soul Essence: ???

  Bonded Monster to Gabriel Grimm

  Upgrades: 1

  Threat Rating: A (S)

  As he scrolled through the display, he saw pages of stats similar to his own Attributes listing.

  Except hers showed ??? instead of numerical values.

  That’s odd, but it sounds like she’s more interested in my being able to bond another monster. Maybe she has someone in mind?

  “I have one bonded and one free slot.”

  “I expected as much. And if you will trust me again, I believe I know the perfect place for you to acquire a second bonded today. Just imagine how impressed Lady Merideva will be when you show up tomorrow with two powerful bonded,” she said, her eager voice getting him riled up as well.

  “Would you care to lead the way?” He asked, sweeping his hand toward the cave entrance.

  Sthuza laughed, but nodded and started toward the exit. “If you wish to study my ass, Master, you need not make up a reason for it.” Gabriel blushed at the sight of several snake eyes staring at him from the back of her head.

  “Your body is very worthy of careful observation, but I was thinking more about how I have no clue where to go,” he replied. Then his mind caught up with his mouth.

  What the hells has gotten into me? I’ve never been so forward with a woman before!

  She turned back and winked an emerald eye at him before opening the enchanted wall and leading him back out into the grand hall beyond her little lair.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Gabriel followed Sthuza for over an hour, going up the hidden spiral staircase Sthuza had pointed out on their first trip. Upon returning to the dusty floor filled with feline statuary, she turned down a side hall, one where there was no dust-free path. After following her along a winding course that left Gabriel wholly lost, they entered a section that lacked the thorough coating of dust.

  When he asked about the difference, wondering if they were on a new floor, she confirmed it was still the seventh. Her assigned region was half of the floor. A sizable orc tribe had controlled the rest, but she had encountered none of them in over a century.

  Sthuza briefly explained that their destination was on the eighth floor, where a clan of salamanders had lived for several centuries. Their matriarch was an old friend of hers, and she felt confident they’d be able to pick up a second bonded there with ease.

  “She is old for a salamander but strong, and I have no doubt she would be willing to gift you one of her granddaughters to bond.”

  “But not a grandson?” he asked, wondering at her turn of phrase.

  The gorgon flinched at his question but continued to lead him deeper into the dungeon.

  “She would have no qualms with doing so, but I would caution against bonding a male monster early on.”

  “Why is that? Not that I don’t trust you, I’m just curious.”

  “Because many monster species have larger, more aggressive males. As a new DM, you do not need to deal with the extra hassle of a wannabe alpha playing domination games with you and fighting you at every turn.”

  “Yeah, that doesn’t sound appealing.”

  “Additionally, some practices you may find are more convenient with female bonded,” Sthuza said, her voice dropping below a whisper.

  Gabriel had to strain to hear her and wasn’t sure what she meant. Before he could ask her to explain, she stopped and held up a hand.

  After a brief pause, she waved him closer, and he crept to her side, peering around the corner where Sthuza hid. “Look, Master, two orcs.”

  It took him a few seconds to spot them, but he nodded when he saw the pair of green-skinned monsters. Both wore thick hides and carried heavy spears. Their gear looked even crappier than what Cuix and her goblins used. While there were rumors that orcs weren’t as stupid as adventurers claimed, these two looked even more primitive than usual.

  “They appear to be unaffiliated with the Core. Perhaps the tribe that used to run this area has dissolved. Either way, they should make for an excellent test of your new abilities,” she said, a feral smile on her face.

  His expression quickly grew to match hers, and Gabriel marveled at the confidence swirling in his mind as he considered her suggestion.

  “I would love to see what you can do with your new conduit, Master,” she said in a seductive whisper, her mouth close enough that her breath tickled his ear.

  A shiver running down his spine, Gabriel nodded and considered which spells would be useful.

  It’s not like I’ve tested my new abilities out yet, so maybe go all out this time?

  Figuring that was wisest, he spent thirty seconds erecting a simple shield spell to block physical attacks.

  No point in testing out the armor she gave me if I don’t have to.

  He blinked in surprise when he released the completed spell and barely felt his mana pool ripple under the load.

  Either I did that wrong, or this conduit is far better than anything I’ve ever used.

  Shaking his head clear, he began forming glyphs into a basic Aetheric Missile spell. Gabriel had no desire to embarrass himself any further in front of the impressive gorgon. So, he harnessed as much mana as he could and concentrated on forming the spell construct for a barrage of energy bolts.

  Create as many as I can and split them evenly between the two.

  The pair of muscular orcs, both male, were too busy chatting to detect either of them, so Gabriel took his time and painstakingly formed each glyph of the spell. Barely a minute after she’d pointed them out, he was ready and stepped out into the stone tunnel, keeping his bonded behind him and out of his line of fire.

  Not a hundred percent sure how this will go.

  Drawing a deep breath to steady himself, he chewed his lower lip and released the spell.

  Then the world exploded around him.

  A massive shock wave knocked him to the ground as all the surrounding air blew away, brilliant purple contrails highlighting the path his missiles carved through the air.

  The initial glare of twenty arcane explosives accelerating was almost more than his eyes could handle. Unfortunately, he’d recovered enough to glance toward his targets just in time to witness them disappear in a cloud of blindingly bright explosions.

  Sthuza cried out next to him.

  He reached a hand toward where he thought she was and grasped something soft and cool.

  Another wave of pressure washed over them, accompanied a split second later by a thunderous series of booms. Unable to hear, and barely capable of thought, Gabriel pulled the shivering gorgon to his chest and held her tight as lights danced in his closed eyes.

  “Master? I am blind, what happened?” she asked after most of the pain had subsided.

  “Not sure. I cast a simple attack spell, then something exploded.”

  She said nothing else, but he felt her nuzzle against him, her face pressing up against his neck, and he felt his body react to her proximity.

  This is not a good time for getting aroused.

  Sthuza shifted, inadvertently grinding against his growing erection. “While I appreciate your interest, I do not think now is the best moment for amorous play.”

  “No argument from me. I have no idea what happened. That blast was way too much for my spell.”

  “It is possible you used too much mana. How depleted is y
our pool presently?” Sthuza asked, her breathy voice tickling his ear.

  “Not very much. Maybe a fifth to a quarter? I forgot to check how much I had to start with. Even from full, it’s not bad considering I erected a shield and powered all those missiles. Plus, I threw several spells yesterday to take down a rampaging minotaur we found.”

  She chuckled. “I believe that your mana pool increased in capacity when you were reborn as a DM. Perhaps we should test your abilities with more caution in the future.”

  He blinked painful eyes, more tears leaking out, but he finally saw something other than brilliant white.

  “I can sort of see again, how about you?” he asked, concerned.

  “Yes, Master. I can see enough to know you slew both orcs,” she replied, her sarcastic tone hinting at something.

  “What do you mean?”

  Snickering, she raised an arm and pointed toward his targets. The gray stone walls were now a burst of brilliant color. Bare stone remained gray, but much of the pockmarked wall was now a swirling contrast of blood red and scorched black. There were two piles of broiled meat wrapped in smoldering armor slumped against the gory mural, and Gabriel had to choke back the bile gathering in his throat.

  What the hells did I do to them?

  “Now that I am no longer worried about permanently losing my vision,” Sthuza began. “I must admit that it was an impressive attack. Especially given that you have just started to learn about your powers.”

  Gabriel fought the urge to blush. “Uh, thanks? Sorry about that, I honestly hadn’t expected anything like that. The fight against the minotaur was much more normal.”

  She nodded, dozens of snakes bobbing in sync with her as they split their gazes between his face and the smoking remains of the brutalized orcs. “Yes. Well, you have now bonded with a rather powerful monster, which no doubt has boosted your raw power. Additionally, resting last night may have allowed you to embrace your upgraded body more fully.”

  “I hadn’t considered that. Still, it was sort of cool,” he said, an embarrassed smile on his face.

  She flashed a fang-baring grin and nodded. “It was indeed, but perhaps try a slightly less powerful blast next time?”

  “Yeah, good idea.”

  “In normal circumstances, I would suggest looting the corpses, but I doubt anything remains intact after that devastation, so let us resume our journey. I am eager to introduce you to the salamanders and see who you pick,” she said, moving down the tunnel and skirting around the foul-smelling remains.

  ***

  They reached the entrance to the seventh floor with no further incidents. It surprised Gabriel to find what looked like a natural cave descending downward, rather than the worked stairs he’d seen previously.

  Sthuza noticed his reaction and smiled. “Not every floor is the same. And Cores can decorate them however they wish. Of course, the size can vary as well. Some are several square miles and consist of multiple distinct regions.”

  Gabriel stared at her for a long moment before his mind started working again, and he could form a reply. “I thought there were rules about what type of floors a dungeon could develop. The Guild has a huge list of the parameters and what signs to watch out for.”

  She let out a throaty chuckle, then waved a hand to ward away his concern. “The Guild based their guidelines on assumptions and more than a few outright lies propagated by Dungeon Masters and Cores.”

  “I forgot to ask before, how do you know so much about the Guild?” he asked, careful to keep from sounding accusatory.

  A nostalgic expression crossed her face for a few seconds before she returned to the present. “My mistress was a devout worshiper of Asmodeus, and thus I studied as much as I could.”

  “What does the Prince of Lies have to do with studying?” he asked, more confused than he had been before.

  She chuckled again, her laughter a soft, pleasant sound. “Clearly, you need my services to remedy your lacking education, Master. But in truth, most of my knowledge of the Adventurer’s Guild comes from being a Silver-ranked adventurer.”

  Gabriel stared at her. “How could you join? Didn’t you have to use a Soulstone to pledge? Surely they wouldn’t have let a gorgon join, especially a Dungeon Bound.”

  “It is a story best told in comfort where you can freely ask all of your questions. For now, I believe it is in our best interest to continue our quest.”

  He sighed but nodded. “You’re right, again. Still, you keep making more questions pop up.”

  “It is part of my job to keep you growing, Master,” she said, her sudden sultry tone teasing him.

  Still uncertain about his feelings for the wise monster girl, Gabriel refused to rise to the bait and started down the rough stone ramp. Despite his intent to ignore her, he couldn’t resist glancing back at her briefly.

  Sthuza followed him down, a pleased smirk on her face, before moving to walk beside him as they entered a much more extensive, cavernous chamber.

  “This floor has many flame-attuned monsters, so please be careful. I do not wish to see you get burned.”

  He nodded without turning to her, unable to tear his focus from the distinct terrain. Glossy obsidian made up most of the cavern they were in, with several veins of silvery ore glistening in the eerie orange glow of ten-foot luminescent mushrooms.

  “If you enjoy it here, we could arrange a shorter path so we could return here more often,” Sthuza said, drawing him out of his dazed state.

  “Are you talking about digging a tunnel straight to here? Wouldn’t that be incredibly time-consuming?”

  She started toward the field of glowing mushrooms. “No, but again, it would be best to discuss such matters after we are safely back with your Core.”

  He followed along just behind her. As they weaved their way across the giant cave, his eyes darted from glowing mushrooms to flickering shadows dancing across the glossy ebony stone.

  “Now we should encounter a guard in the next chamber after we exit this tunnel,” she said, pointing out a cleverly concealed passage cut into the obsidian wall.

  The way it was cut took advantage of the dark stone and dim lighting to fool the eyes into overlooking the entrance. Gabriel knew he would have missed it if not for his knowledgeable bonded.

  Finding Sthuza has already made this whole DM thing a lot easier.

  She retook the lead, and they followed the winding path for several minutes in mounting silence.

  At first, she’d seemed the same as always to him; calm, confident, and composed. But as the pair continued farther and farther into the tunnel, her head-snakes became increasingly twitchy.

  Finally, tired of watching her discomfort grow, he sped up and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sthuza shrieked and jumped, her head-snakes all hissing and lashing out.

  “Sorry, I just wanted to know if you’re all right,” he said, keeping his hand on her cool shoulder.

  She shook her head. Reaching up, she brushed several of the more agitated snakes, calming their hissing and spitting. “No, it is my fault for allowing myself to get so worked up.”

  She looked at him with sad eyes. “I should have spoken up sooner, but I did not want to jinx us. Unfortunately, I no longer believe that to be a concern.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We should have encountered several scouts and guards by now. This tunnel has several hidden guard posts and choke points to ensure easy defense. Yet not a single salamander has challenged our presence,” she said, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for danger.

  “Sthuza, how long has it been since you’ve visited your friend?”

  She blinked, and several of her snakes turned to focus on him. “You raise an interesting point. I honestly do not recall. I know it has been many years, but the matriarch has ruled this entire floor for as long as I can remember.

  “It is hard to imagine anyone could challenge her authority here.”

  “Still, is it possible that things have changed?
” he asked quietly. Something felt off about the whole situation, and he was beginning to worry as well.

  Sthuza flinched, then glanced back the way they’d come.

  “Did you hear something?” he whispered.

  She nodded, held up a hand, and turned her head to one side.

  “Sssomething isss following usss now.”

  Gabriel wasted no time and started weaving a shield spell for each of them.

  He tried to suppress the glow of the arcane glyphs, but couldn’t keep them completely invisible.

  Still a lot better than I could ever do back at the Academy. Can’t believe I managed to pull off that lance attack on Gromp without giving it away.

  After erecting an arcane barrier around each of them, he relaxed a bit about their situation. Still, he couldn’t shake the sense of dread eating away at his nerves.

  They waited silently for several minutes but detected no more signs of others.

  “Perhaps I was mistaken. If you are willing, I still think we should continue forward and see what we can find,” she suggested.

  “That’s fine, Sthuza, lead the way.”

  They reached the tunnel exit and found themselves in another large cavern. While slightly smaller than the enormous one at the floor entrance, this one showed far more signs of inhabitation.

  Someone had carved scores of small cave entrances into the stone along both main walls. There were four floors of caves visible, with narrow staircases at each end of the long rows.

  The cavern lacked the glowing fungi that illuminated the previous one. Instead, it relied on a giant glowing orb anchored into the ceiling far above them.

  Seeing Sthuza’s concerned look, Gabriel focused inward and activated Magesight before scanning the length of the room.

  “There’s been plenty of activity here, probably for centuries, but I don’t see any life,” he said after a moment of careful study.

  She nodded without turning to look at him. “Yes, something is very wrong here, Master. There are signs of battle, and what looks like large quantities of webbing on the far side,” she said, pointing to a whitish spot that he’d overlooked.