Chapter 36

Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

With my hippogriffs created, I had a lot to do to my dungeon. So much work. I spent a whole day considering it. I talked with Fara and Hagane for ideas. We drew up some diagrams, but it became clear that my dungeon needed to have a new level.

A Deep Labyrinth.

It would push my living quarters deeper underground. That was good. More space between the Vault and the entrance. More dangers and traps would-be attackers have to navigate through. Adventurers, other dungeon builders, and dragons would all have a larger gauntlet to run through.

So my living quarters, throne room, the meeting hall, and the space to bring the citizens of Astovin during an attack all became Level Four of my dungeon. I kept Guard Post Two—where Paanee, Baaghi, and Esclava were stationed—at the end of Level Three with the access to my throne room on Level Four from there. And access to the Teleportation Hub that let me travel fast between the dungeon with Kassie’s help.

I felt a tad bad that she had to spend time as little more than an elevator operator when she wasn’t seeing if any of Halia’s recruits had good magical aptitude. So far, none showed any.

I created the Deep Labyrinth on Level 3. A network of winding dungeons with all manner of traps. Wind blasts to throw adventurers back into other deadlier traps. Heated oil, a mix of Fire and Water traps, would drop on their heads. Crushing ceiling tiles, pit traps, spear traps that fired out of the walls, flame traps, blizzard traps, sonic traps, lightning traps. All the goodies. Patrolling the floors of the Deep Labyrinth were the animated armors, the werewolves, and the yetis.

I thought they would make some good patrollers.

I made new rooms, too. Places to house the new Level 3 Monster girls. For the leprechauns, I made the Illusion Room. Using Light and Darkness mixed, I created a room that appeared to be a green field full of flowers and berry bushes. In reality, it was full of hidden traps. With their ability to teleport through shadows and distract with magic to lure adventurers into traps, I figured my leprechauns would be right at home.

For my mountain nymphs, the oreads, I created the Stone Teeth Room. Oreads had the ability to merge into rocks. The room was full of stalactites poised to fall from the ceiling and a forest of stalagmites thrusting from the floor to force adventurers to wander through the deadly area. The oread could hide in the rocks for an ambush. For good measure, I mixed in some volcanic traps, a mix of Earth and Fire to make magma.

I combined the aos sithe and the vampires, giving them the Black Room to live in. A large, featureless room that only the most powerful light spell would illuminate, and not much of it. Shaped like a box, I put the entrance on the left side of the north wall and the exit on the right side. Not on opposite ones. I hoped they would head out into the middle and not realize their mistake. The aos sithe and the vampires would be right at home attacking out of the darkness and disorienting the attackers.

I created the Echo Room for the sires. A room full of beautiful and relaxing music that the sirens sang to. The acoustics in the room were perfect to magnify their beguiling voices. On top of that, I used a mix of Air and Light to make a soothing scent that filled the room. Aromatherapy to stupefy the attackers and lure them to the sirens on their comfy beds.

For the final obstacle that any attacker would have to survive to exit the Deep Labyrinth, I made the Aerie. A large room that was three stories up with a deep pit at the bottom lined with spikes. There was no way across the room without flying, the only bridge extending from the exit to the entrance by pushing a switch on the ceiling. Perches thrust from the walls for the flying monster girls to roost on. The thunderbirds, phoenixes, and the hippogriffs would all guard this room.

That should be a hard obstacle for many adventurers to get past.

I added the Illusion Room, Stone Teeth Room, the Black Room, and the Echo Room to the rotation for the entrance of the dungeon. That would give any adventurers studying my dungeon a nasty shock when they found different challenges every day.

It still happened, attacks. Every few days, a foolhardy group of adventurers broke into my dungeon. Some lived, fleeing usually from the entrance room. It was such a waste of life. I wasn’t an enemy to this world. There were dungeon builders who were.

The kelpies were the only monster girls that I didn’t make a new area for. Water monster girls, I let them join the mermaids and hippocampi in the Flooded Bridge Room. The kelpies would be happy there. While they weren’t purely aquatic, like mermaids and hippocampi, they still enjoyed the water. With dungeon building done, I had some new magic to practice. A lot of new magic.

So it was off to the throne room where some of my monster girls gathered. Maya, Alizee, Garnet, Crystal, and Terra were all lounging on their thrones behind me. I rolled my shoulders, hearing them whispering and chatting.

“What are you going to bust out first, big bro?” Garnet asked.

“I’m surprised you’re here,” I said. “Thought you’d be fucking the new monster girls.”

“I did that all day yesterday,” she said. “As you made new rooms, I traveled to them. Ooh, I had fun in the darkness room whipping those vampires. They kept trying to bite me!”

“They tried that on me,” Maya said. “But they didn’t like it. Not fans of water.”

“Nor clay,” Terra said.

“They found me too chilly,” Crystal said, “but that didn’t stop me from riding Krvi’s face.”

“Morana loves them,” Alizee said. “I think she’s with them right now. They’re being all queen of the dead together. It’s so cute.”

I smiled at that. “Glad you’re all getting along with the new girls.” I took a deep breath and cried out the words to the first new spell. “The power of the tide crushes, let the might of Lord Enki drown!”

A powerful wave of water swept out before me. It rose ten or more feet high and washed out even wider. The ground shook then it crashed down and washed out across the throne room. Before it faded away. Tidal Surge had some kick to it.

“Ooh, I liked that,” Maya said. “Just unleash that mighty flood, Leo!”

“And the water goes away,” Terra said. “No mess to clean up.”

“And that’s the only new Water spell I got,” I said. “Well, and a ritual to cleanse water and make it drinkable.”

“Just one?” asked Maya. “No Internal Spell.”

“Just one,” I said, shrugging. “It seems some of the elements don’t have a lot. Others have a few. I have three in Earth.”

“Ooh, let’s see it,” Terra said. “Something flashy!”

“Like Earth Shatter?” I asked and thrust out my arm. “The hammer falls, let the strength of Lord Abzu smash!”

A section of stone floor exploded, sending debris flying and leaving a crater about ten feet across.

“Very flashy,” Terra said, nodding her approval.

“And we have Boulder Fall!” I found the new words in my soul. “Hurtling down the mountain, let the boulder of Lord Abzu crush!”

A large boulder appeared at the ceiling and crashed down to the ground with a large boom. The floor shook beneath my feet. The boulder cracked the floor where it hit. The stone vanished after a few seconds.

“Wow, the Wiley E. Coyote spell,” said Garnet.

“Only it didn’t crush Leo,” pointed out Maya. “So at least there’s that.”

“I hope I wouldn’t flatten myself with a bolder,” I said, shaking my head. “Stone and flesh become one, let the love of Lady Ki meld!”

Suddenly, I felt the stone beneath my feet as not a solid, but a liquid I could lower myself into. I glanced back at my women and waved to them before I just sank into the stone. They gasped. Garnet bounced on her knees on her throne. Alizee hopped to her feet. Terra grinned. Then I vanished into the stone.

I was one with it. I didn’t need to breathe. I didn’t feel it crushing me. I could move through it like swimming through thick syrup. I could hear the vibrations through the stone and feel that there was an empty space above me and the thrones on the floor. It was surreal. I couldn’t see anything. Not just darkness, but a lack of sight.

It was all surreal as I moved through it like the oreads must. Stonemeld was an interesting spell. It definitely could have its uses. I swam beneath the thrones and emerged behind them as they were talking on the chair.

“I don’t know how impressive that was,” Maya was saying. “I mean, I would have thought he could have done that earlier.”

“It’s so impressive,” Alizee said. “He didn’t leave any disturbance in the stone. That means his atoms are slipping around the atoms of the stone. That’s some crazy quantum stuff. If Hagane was here, I bet her chrome body would melt.”

“I think a Dark Lord shouldn’t meld into rocks but teleport through shadows,” said Garnet. “The leprechauns do that. It’s super neat. That’s what Dark Lord Big Bro should be doing!”

“Mmm, I’m in favor of it,” said Crystal. “I like the idea of walking all over him in the stone. It’s hot. Melts my pussy right now.”

“Good to know,” I said.

They all jumped, Garnet squeaking, and turned around to look at me standing behind them. I grinned at them, the spell still active I could merge down into the stone again, but I decided against it as they all grinned at me.

“I knew you were there,” Maya said.

“Riiiiight,” I said. “That’s why you jumped.”

“So jumped,” Terra said.

“I had no idea,” Alizee said. “That was neat.”

“Teleport through shadows, Big Bro!” Garnet whimpered, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. “I think that will be way neater.”

“It’s not a teleport spell, Garnet,” I said as I lounged between the thrones. “It’s an ambush spell. Something sneaky.”

“Fine, fine,” she said. “So, what’s next, big bro?”

“Volley of Stakes?” I asked, a metal spell. “Metal missiles fly, let the spikes of Lord Nabu pierce!”

The stakes hissed through the air from me in a shotgun spread. They slammed into the far wall, sparks flaring as they drove into the stone wall. A gruesome fate for anyone that had the misfortune of standing in that path.

“That’s it for Metal other than a ritual to make a metal knight, an even more powerful type of golem.” I rolled my shoulders. “How about some Ice? The sharpness of ice cuts, let the razors of Lord Anshar slash!”

Razor Ice sent frozen blades ripping through an area, tearing up anything that would stand in that place. Like Volley of Stakes, not much would be left intact in the area of this spell. And like Metal, that was the only spell I really got.

There was a ritual, Mirror Coat, that would let me coat something in a thin layer of ice to make it highly reflective.

“Now, this next one won’t hurt,” I said, turning and facing them. “Though it seems a weird way to use this spell.”

“Weird?” Maya asked.

“Life revitalizes and mends, let the restoration of Lord Dumazid mend!” I cried and a bolt of green-orange energy slammed into Maya. She gasped as it rippled over her. “Bow of Life, a long-ranged healing spell.”

“Oh, wow, I think Ms. Trueno told me about that one,” Terra said. “Saw Sulanga use it. So that’s the Life weapon. A healing attack? Weird.”

“But useful,” I said. “You know how many times I’ve seen one of the women I love hurt and wished I could do this.”

“Dark Lord Big Bro is the best!” Garnet gushed.

“And I also have a Healing aura,” I said. “Positive energy flows, let the passion of Lady Ianna spread!”

My body glowed and waves of the same energy washed around me for about twenty feet. I moved closer to my women, letting it bathe over them. They all closed their eyes and smiled like they were being bathed in something extra relaxful.

It was looking like these were some good spells that I had gained. There was also a ritual called Fertile Lands that would make large swaths of the most barren lands into the most productive farmland there was.

I imagine Sulanga thought it was a waste of time to use, but I was excited by it. I wanted to make Astovin’s fields as productive as possible. This was something so useful. They didn’t have modern farming techniques in this world.

They had to work hard to just keep the crops alive and healthy. I was glad to find something creative and not destructive.

“Light has a scrying ritual,” I said. “You can make a sensor and watch places. It’s invisible.”

“You don’t think we’re being watched?” Crystal asked.

“Tuerien doesn’t have Light, does he?” I asked.

“Fuegin probably does,” Crystal said.

A queasiness washed through my stomach. “Yeah, he probably is watching. He sure found my dungeon fast when I appeared. He probably has lots of resources. So let’s remember that when we’re outside the dungeon, anyone could be watching us.”

Garnet nodded. “Operational security is so vital, big bro!”

“She says those words, but does she understand them?” Crystal asked Terra.

Garnet’s cheeks puffed out. “Big bro, Crystal’s being mean to me again. I totally know what those words mean. They’re ... the security of the operation. Our operation!”

Crystal smirked. I arched an eyebrow at her, but she didn’t look apologetic at all.

“Anyways,” I said. “Let’s move on with Light. There’s Lightweave which lets me shape an illusion that moves around with me.” I thought about what to make before chanting, “Shape of light and lies, let the creativity of Lord Shamash move!”

The world grew fuzzy before me for a second. Then it was normal. I looked down at my hands and saw the faint outline of tan and muscular flesh. I glanced at my women who were all staring at me. I grinned at them.

“Did it work?” I asked.

“You’re Khal Drogo,” gasped Garnet. “Ooh, you already were a hunk, big bro, but now...”

“Mmm, I wonder if Lana Fulmine ever fucked Jason Momoa,” Crystal said, staring at me.

“You look just like him,” said Alizee. “That’s so crazy.”

“I know,” Terra said, fanning her face. “Oh, my, I saw that Aquaman movie just because he was in it. He was so shirtless in that movie. And all tatted up.”

I shook my head and let the illusion melt away.

“So you can now infiltrate the good guys and trick them,” said Garnet. “Like the First Evil did in the last season of Buffy.”

“We’re the good guys,” Maya said, putting her arm around Garnet’s shoulder. “Remember.”

“I know,” said Garnet. “Just playing.” She grinned. “I think you’re sexier this way, big bro.”

“Thanks, Garnet,” I said, staring at the others. “I see you all aren’t agreeing.”

“It was Jason Momoa,” Maya said, winking playfully at me. “You should have appeared as someone ugly or creepy.”

“I would still love you,” Garnet sighed.

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s get back to the test with Blinding Radiance.” I thrust out my hand. “Sunlight explodes, let the radiance of Lord Shamash erupt!”

A brilliant light exploded from my hand. It almost hurt my eyes. My women gasped, and they were behind me. It would leave anyone blinded. It might even give them a sunburn. I blinked my eyes as I lowered my hand.

“Damn,” Crystal said. “You got some interesting spells.”

“Interesting is Dripping Shadows,” I said.

“Dripping Shadows?” Maya asked. “That does sound ... interesting.”

“Night devours, let the corrosive shadows of Lord Zuen burn!”

From the ceiling, black shadows dripped and splashed on the ground with an acidic sizzle. The darkness ate away at the stone, pitting them. The stone smoked. A sour reek, almost like bile, filled the air as it worked.

“Oh, wow,” Crystal said. “That’s insane. Darkness that devours. That’s pretty metal.”