Chapter 11

It seemed that the last resistance in the city had fallen. The army was escorting the refugees through the city. Almost all the women had crossed the bridge. Terra was at the end of it, the last monster girl across.

“It is going well,” Fara said. “Our losses are less than expected. Are you going to reinforce them?” I shook my head. “Tuerien is replenishing his forces, but he hasn’t sent them out yet. I don’t want to open my dungeon up to any surprises he might have in the city. For now, we’re winning. We’re leading the civilians north.”

“Lady Ninli has blessed us so far,” Lysila said from where she prayed.

“Yes, she has,” I said. I wondered what she would be like. Ultimately, I planned on recovering the Blessed Blade of Water from the temple, but that was for the second half of the operation. The most important part was getting the civilians clear. “Fara, watch the battle. I’m going to start reviving our forces and ready for sending them back in if they’re needed.”

“Yes, Lord Leo,” Fara said and stepped up to the scryer. “Thank you for leaving it in a panoramic view.”

I chuckled. “Would be pointless not to.”

She couldn’t move it.

I grabbed the Void Crystal. Right now, Tuerien had to be doing the same thing, replenishing his forces. I didn’t know why he hadn’t immediately sent them out or at least grouped them up for counterattacks. The women’s column was weak, and he could have other exits scattered throughout the city I didn’t know about.

What was Tuerien’s next move?

Tuerien stood before the closed doors of his dungeon. He stared at them. The golem and her forces had evacuated, but had Leo left any nasty surprises outside of the doors? He has to know this is where my reinforcements will come from.

Tuerien took a deep breath. He had to do it. He nodded to the two dullahans that stood by the door. The Death monster girls pushed open the door for him. He stepped outside alone. He didn’t know what magics Leo had. The man had all the Glyphs.

He felt exposed out here. It was silent. Rubble from where Leo’s dungeon had erupted lay scattered around the palace grounds. A section of the wall had collapsed. But no one was here. Everyone had fled. Tuerien was ready to cast spells.

He had his first attack ready in his mind as he stepped to the spot.

He felt it like a current running over his skin.

He activated it and appeared in a thicket. A dense bramble of blackberry shrouded the entrance to his dungeon. It was thirty or forty feet thick in every direction. Dense and woody. An adventuring party would have to hack through it to find him, and that was work.

When he discovered this natural bramble near his dungeon, he knew it was the perfect spot to hide his entrance. He rushed down the stairs and into the darkness of his dungeon. He still had to navigate through the labyrinth back to his Vault.

He broke into a run, knowing the path instinctually.

It took time for Tuerien to navigate his dungeon. Time for Leo and his forces to regroup, too. It was clear Leo didn’t want a confrontation. He cared only about appearing heroic and saving the people. And yet he hadn’t appeared in person.

Tuerien had to counterattack to force him into the open.

Finally, he reached his Vault. He panted as he entered. Soulita stretched on the black crystal. “You lost a lot of monster girls.”

“Yep,” he said. “Fucker flooded the city. He scouted me out.”

“Mmm, that’s so mean of him.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. She appeared fourteen with a playful smile. “Ooh, you need to kick his butt!”