Chapter 41

Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

Bhediya wasn’t the only casualty Halia’s party took as they navigated the labyrinth. Hela, Marwo, and Cysgo were lost to traps and an ambush of rock elementals. Halia hated each one of them yipping in pain before they vanished.

She knew they would be revived by Leo. They probably were alive right now, telling Leo what was going on. Still, Halia didn’t want anyone to die against dungeon builders. She thought about her adventurers in training.

What if she lost one of them one day?

The life of an adventurer was not safe. Most of them didn’t make it past their first dungeon. Only the best had successful careers. Delving into the dark winnowed out the weak and the unlucky. It’s war, Halia told herself. Our world versus the rogue builders.

There would be casualties.

“There’s a door!” Du yipped from ahead. “A metal one. Strong and locked.”

It emerged out of the darkness, a stout door of steel just like the ones Leo used to guard the approach to his throne room. They must be at the end of the dungeon. Right now, Berg and his companions were in his throne room staring down at the map, watching their red dots getting closer and closer. Feeling his monster girls dying.

Nothing was more dangerous than a badger cornered in his den.

“How do wet get through it?” Baaghi asked.

“Shame Garzan is dead,” Sarkz said, his voice bitter.

“Shame you attacked our Lord!” Cheekha growled back.

“I can open it,” Hagza said. “Stand clear!”

The dwarven mage thrust out her stony hand, fingers splayed wide. She stroked the brass medallion about her neck, caressing the cuneiform markings on it. Everyone pressed against the walls. Halia hugged it tight, the wildhounds standing up, their small breasts quivering.

“Kisib Na!”

A granite fist punched the door, denting the metal. The hinges groaned. Hagza cried out the arcane words again. A second rocky fist crashed into the door. The metal bowed inward, the metal crumpling. The third stone blow ripped the door off its hinges.

It crashed to the stone floor with a loud clatter.

The dungeon builder’s throne room spread out before them. Lights glowed through it, illuminating the space. A throne stood on the far side before another steel door. The dungeon builder, Berg, stood in full plate armor before the map on the floor. He had no weapons, but black soil trickled from the gaps in his clenched fists.

Earth enchanted.

He had three companions with him. On his right was a tall and strong woman with thick, shaggy hair and claws at the ends of her fingers and toes. Her large tits swayed as she shifted her stance and roared with ursine fury.

Instead of a human head, she had a bear.

Bugbear, thought Halia as she scanned the enemies. To the dungeon builder’s left was a lampetia, her body made of pure light, her hair shining and eyes glowing blue. Beside her stood the last companion, another Light monster girl. A chalkydri. She had twelve wings, her feathers the spectrum of a rainbow. A lion’s tail swished behind her and she stood on feline paws.

“Kill them,” boomed Berg, his voice echoing from behind his helm.

The bugbear charged at Halia, but Baaghi roared and rushed past the paladin. The rakshasa and the bugbear collided. They crashed to the ground, tiger and bear heads snapping and snarling at each other as claws raked across their bodies.

The wildhounds rushed towards Berg, racing past Baaghi and her fight. The glowing woman stepped before her builder and burst with light. Halia winced at the brilliance from across the room. The wildhounds screamed in pain and clutched at their eyes.

“I can’t see!” Du screamed.

“Where is she!” Nos howled.

Beams of light flashed from the lampetia’s eyes. Ci vanished in a scream. Du didn’t have a chance to dodge. Nos heard her sisters’ cries of pain and whipped her gaze in their direction only for the beams of light to strike her in the side of the head. Gwyllt managed to lunge for the lampetia.

She vanished in motes.

The werewolves howled and the quetzalcoatls took to the air. The chalkydri’s twelve wings flapped. She leaped into the air. Lights swirled about her wings in strange patterns, flowing from blue to red to orange to green to yellow to purple. A collage of colors assaulted Halia’s vision.

She swayed there at the pattern. It was so beautiful. She followed the chalkydri as she soared to the peaked ceiling, the lights swirling around in watery beauty. Liquid hues splashed and swirled and mixed to form new colors Halia had never witnessed.

Her armor lowered. A smile spread on her lips as she watched the hypnotizing beauty.

Lightning flashed through the colors.

The chalkydri dove for the ground, the pattern broken. Halia gasped, the bubble of bemused delight around her popping. The dwarves and werewolves staggered with her, heads shaking and weapons raising.

The quetzalcoatls surged at the chalkydri, breathing more lightning. The monster girl’s twelve wings beat. She spun. A burst of razor-sharp feathers exploded from her. The quetzalcoatls hissed and twisted in the air, struck by the attacks.

Quills penetrated their pale skin and green scales. Vaivory vanished in a flash of motes.

“The builder,” Halia cried, leveling her sword at Berg standing there in a battle stance.

She charged, the two werewolves flanking her. The dwarves pounded after. They raced past Baaghi rolling on the ground with the bugbear. Lightning crackled overhead. The werewolves leaped for the Lampetia. She burst with light, but that doesn’t matter to momentum. The werewolves crashed into her. She screamed in pain as their teeth found the mark.