Chapter 7

Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

After playing with the hellhounds, I had the fifteen new guards for Astovin. They were stationed there in a blink of an eye. I added guardhouses to the gates and a portcullis of iron that could drop down to seal them off. The guardhouses, built into the wall, were where the monster girls would live when not on guard. They had access to the circular tunnel that ran beneath the wall through a trap door.

They were all in place. The golems were patrolling the wall. I would love to go to Astovin, but I was the only one who couldn’t just move myself there. Well, I could if I moved my Vault, taking it from the most defended place in the dungeon and putting it in a vulnerable spot.

I had to grip the Void Crystal to change things, including myself.

I headed into the living room for my harem. It was bigger than it used to be with tables, chairs, couches. A library with a growing number of books that were taken off adventurers. After a party died, all their gear became mine. It was stored in my Void Crystal. I could pull it out and place it in chests. I did that, hoping that adventurers would take the loot and flee rather than stay and die.

I hated killing them. It was such a waste. Halia’s idea of training them was a good one. My own army of adventurers sworn to my Void Crystal. Ambassadors that could go out in the world. Who could keep bad dungeon builders in check?

Who could be my eyes everywhere.

Damn, I could have a network of spies spread over the world who could communicate with us by thought. It was something to pursue. The people of Astovin would be the start. With my Life ritual, Bloom, I could help with their crop generation. They would have to spend less effort on farming.

A whole generation of them could be raised to be fighters, rogues, and mages. I wasn’t sure about priests since it seemed like only Sherida, Lady of Light, was on my side. Maybe her Lord was, too, I didn’t know for certain.

I found Garnet, Crystal, Maya, and Terra playing Uno. I could make playing cards and put my own designs on them. So it wasn’t too hard to make the Uno set. They were all staring at each other, slapping down cards.

“Reverse!” Garnet shouted, throwing hers on the pile.

“Skip!” Maya said, a big grin on her face.

Terra threw down a Blue One. “Uno!”

“What?” Garnet gasped as Crystal threw a Green One. Garnet looked at her cards. “Why green?” She started drawing and drawing and drawing. She slapped down another Reverse, her hand bulging. Crystal threw down a Green Four. Everyone turned to Terra. What did she have? She grinned and tossed a Red Four on the pile.

“Thanks, Crystal,” Terra said, her boobs bouncing. “I get to sleep with Leo tonight!”

“No!” Crystal groaned. She had three green cards in her hand. She slumped back.

“Hey, Leo,” Maya said. She smiled at me. “Done fucking your new monster girls.”

“Did you make puppies?” Garnet asked, her wings fluttering in such a cute way. Her black pigtails swayed about her adorable face. My little sister wiggled her hips back and forth. “Huh?”

“I actually did,” I said. “But they’re already in Astovin.”

“Then you can send me there with the Void Crystal,” she said. “It’s such a long walk.”

“You can fly,” Crystal said. “There’s no one going to care if you wing over there. Everyone around here is Leo’s vassal.”

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk about,” I said. “Ways that we can get to Astovin faster.”

“Mmm,” Mrs. Lucina said. She closed the book she had been reading, bound in wood, and set it down on the coffee table. “What if you got some horses. You could ride them down the tunnel. Gallop them the whole way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Terra said, a big smirk on her clay face. My golem stretched her arms, big boobs jiggling.

“Bad idea,” Lana said. She was ... knitting. I didn’t know she did that.

“Why?” asked Terra. “Horses are used to travel in these times.”

“They’re not much faster than a human at a walk,” Lana continued, not looking up from her knitting. Electricity arced from her golden hair. “And they can only gallop for short time. You ride them all the way to Astovin and back at a full run, they’ll be exhausted. Do it a few times in a row, and you’ll kill them. A fit human can cover more ground than a horse. We don’t have to carry another person while we run.” She smiled. “But they are good for carrying heavy loads and to keep your feet from getting tired. That’s why they’re used.”

“Oh,” Garnet said. “I was hoping to get a pony!”

“There’s the unicorns,” said Crystal. “Go ride one of those.”

“Can I?” gasped Garnet. “I never thought of that. I could sit on their shoulders and rub my little pussy against their necks, and slap my riding crop into their rump.”

She bolted to her feet and darted past me, looking intent to do just that.

“Now that the brat is gone, we can come up with more practical solutions,” Crystal said. “Mmm, you have any ideas, dirty boy?”

My older sister fixed her light-blue eyes on me. They brimmed with such a naughty glint.

“Horses were what I was going with,” I said.

Garnet suddenly came running back in, followed by Fauraliiithiliana and Hagane. “They’re finished, big bro! They’ve figured out how to get your dungeon to the twins.”

“Great, another long passageway. It took three days to get there last time.” I had actually left my dungeon behind to scout the place myself. “The tunnel might cut it down, but that’s a lot of walking, and if the horses really won’t save time...” I sighed. “Wish we could get those magical teleportation circles we found in Meskalamdug’s lair to work.”

“I am sorry that I haven’t figured it out,” Fara said. She held up the paper. “Hagane and I have the calculations, though. And she taught me this algebra. It is fascinating stuff.”

“Why would you do that?” gasped Garnet, looking at Hagane. “Why do you hate Fara so much.” My little sister threw her arms around Fara, red wings flapping.

“Because she’s a big nerd like Hagane is,” Crystal said. “No offense, Hagane.”

“Oh, no, I am a big nerd,” she said. “So if real horses are not practical because of stamina issues, why not some undead horses. They cannot get tired.”

“Undead?” Morana’s head popped up from another couch. Had she been there the entire time? Was she napping? “You do have the Animate Corpse ritual, right? Hagane’s correct. Us undead can go on and on forever.”

“I never thought I would use that ritual,” I said. I could have made the corpses of adventurers into more fighters, but it made me feel queasy to do that. They were people. It didn’t feel right to desecrate their bodies, but horses...

I mean, they were just animals. Majestic ones, but still animals. They ate horses in Europe, didn’t they? Europe didn’t have the romance of the Wild West and the horse culture it gave America to make it distasteful.

“Zombie horses!” Garnet squealed. “Can I have one, big bro?”

“No,” I said, fearing what she would do with it.

“A zombie pony?” She fluttered her eyelashes at me. “Please, please.”

“No,” I said. “I’m the only one that has to walk anywhere in the dungeon.”

“Most of us have to walk,” Terra said. “But I get what you mean. You can move us about your dungeon. Still, having zombie horses could be useful for other missions when you’re not building your dungeon out that far.”

“You all really want me to buy some horses, kill them, and make them into zombies?” I asked.

“It’s logical,” Hagane said.

“It’s a little gross,” Mrs. Lucina said.

“I think it’s wonderful, my Dark Lord,” Morana said, a big smile on her lips.

“It totally fits with your dark lord vibe, big bro,” Garnet said.

“I wasn’t going for that,” I muttered. “I want to be benevolent.” I frowned. “And weren’t you going to go ride the unicorns or something?”

“Right!” she squealed. “I got distracted.” She whirled around and darted off.

“We can have Halia pick out a few horses from Astovin,” said Terra. “I think three should suffice. For now.”

“This is macabre,” Mrs. Lucina said.

“Will they smell?” Lana asked, her nose wrinkling.

“Yeah,” Maya said. “I don’t want any smelly, rotten horses around.”

“Not if you animate them right after death,” Morana said. “If we use humane butchering methods and drain them of their blood immediately, then have our Dark Lord cast the ritual, there will be no smell at all. I don’t smell, do I?”

“Well, you do,” I said, grinning at her. “You have a spicy musk that’s quite delicious.”

A pleased smile spread on my banshee’s pale face.

I looked around then rolled my shoulders. “Halia, we’re heading to Astovin to buy some horses. And who’s the best butcher in the village?”

“Are we having horse for dinner?” asked Halia. “I haven’t had it in a while. That’ll be nice.”

“No, we’re doing something far, far more fucked up.”

“Dark Lord Leo riding on his gallant, midnight-black zombie stallion,” Morana said, looking dreamy. “With his cape billowing behind him, and his scythe in hand, he gallops across the land, letting all fall beneath his shadowy gaze.” The dark mist spilling off her shoulders deepened, almost enveloping her.

I shook my head. She was a little strange sometimes.

I didn’t like watching the horses get butchered. It wasn’t a pleasant thing even if it was humane. They had no idea they were about to die. They were strung up, throats slit, and the blood was quickly drained out of them.

It’s no different than getting meat for dinner, I thought. I kept telling myself over and over that, but I had never had to butcher my own meal. Halia was nonplussed by it.

“Let’s get them down and get started, Lord Leo,” she said. “I am curious to see how they perform.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. I closed my eyes, the words to Animate Corpse rising out of my soul.

“I call upon Lord Nergal and Lady Ereshkigal to animate these corpses,” I chanted. “Let the power of death fill them and control their flesh! From beyond they have gone! Through the veil, they have passed! Let them act with a simulacrum of life!”

That wasn’t enough I didn’t just have to speak it one time. I had to speak it over and over again. The power of the Lord and Lady of Death flowed through me and into the three dead horses. One was black and the other two brown, one with white fetlocks. The spell poured into their dead flesh. My voice rang through the room, repeating the words to the ritual.

“I call upon Lord Nergal and Lady Ereshkigal to animate these corpses! Let the power of death fill them and control their flesh! From beyond they have gone! Through the veil, they have passed! Let them act with a simulacrum of life!”

The horses stirred. The butcher grunted and Halia nodded. Their legs twitched. Their tails flickered. Then their eyes opened. They were cloudy white now. The black stallion kicked his legs and scrambled to his feet as I finished. The other two followed. They stared at me, tails idly flicking.

The cuts to their throats remained, not healing, but other than that, they looked alive. I came up to the stallion and touched his neck, stroking over the coarse fur. He wasn’t warm. Not cold, but cool. Like Morana was.

“It worked,” I said.

We put saddles and bridles on them. Morana quivered in delight. She was petting the brown horse with the white fetlocks. She had such a big grin on her face. I didn’t know why girls loved horses so much, but it was clear she was enraptured with the zombified beast.

“We don’t even have to take the gear off them,” said Morana. “They don’t feel pain any longer. They’re beyond it. They’ll always be ready to serve you, my Dark Lord.”

“Fine beasts they are,” the butcher said. “I hope they serve you well, Lord Leo.”

“Not at all concerned about it?” I asked as I helped cinch the saddle tight on my beast.

The man shrugged. “You’re a dungeon builder. You do unnatural things. But you’re Astovin’s builder. So I don’t have a problem. None of us will. We’re your people, my Lord.” He chuckled. “My youngest lad wants to train with Halia. Need a few more years of seasoning, but he’ll do well in your service.”

I nodded. Hopefully, we will have a few more years.

I mounted the black, Halia on the brown, and Morana on the one with white fetlocks. We rode out of the abattoir and into the streets. The sun was setting. I had much to do. Fara had finished her calculations. I wouldn’t mind driving my tunnel to Led’s dungeon and figuring out how he gained the Light glyph without killing a dungeon builder.

I had two more to gain, Thunder and Wind. If I could do it without bloodshed ... Well, the better.

The people of Astovin nodded to us as we rode the zombie horses through town. I smiled and nodded back. Their cheers and greetings heartened me. I was protecting these people. That was important to me I wanted to make sure they had great lives.

To keep them safe.

My walls lined the village. Everywhere I looked, I could see them. My new monster girls would be on guard. Feya flitted overhead, the fairy waving down at me. She would be a good administrator of this village.

If I was going to expand my territory, I would need more monster girl companions I could trust. I wanted to keep my core ones here, but maybe one day Usiku or Baaghi could be sent out to other towns to help defend them.