Chapter 30

Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

His words still echoing, the two monster girls surged out towards us. The naga slithered while the cat-woman, a rakshasa I thought, raced with feline grace. Halia and Lana broke apart, each rushing to intercept a monster girl. Halia went for the naga, leaving Lana to deal with the cat-girl.

I marched on Jindag, my spear gripped in my hand.

“Such a cold greeting,” said Jindag. “I was surprised when you killed my monster girls on the raid. I expected adventurers to protect their women, not my brother.”

“We are not brothers,” I said, glancing at the girls. They all looked broken. Miserable. He had hurt them. Used them. “I am no brother to someone as foul as you.”

“You disapprove of my little harem?” he asked, glancing at the women. “They’re honored to lie with me. I’ll plant strong sons in them. The other dungeon builders have it all wrong. They seek to build their catacombs and control territory, but they have no ambition. They cannot breed their monster girls, not even their companions. But regular women...

“I will supplant the dungeon builders with my descendants. I shall steal their Void Crystals and give them to my boys. They shall spread. My dynasty will rule this world.”

“There’s one little problem with that,” I told him.

“Which is?”

Cold anger roiled through me. I had never wanted to kill anyone in my life until this moment. Kidnapping women to force them to have his children. To harm and brutalize them. It sickened me. “You have to survive my justice.”

“Justice,” sneered Jindag. “Aren’t you and I passed that? Aren’t we above them all?”

“Why, because we have power? Arrogance isn’t an excuse to be above the law. Be above what is right! You are not a god, Jindag. You’re a man.”

“Prove it!” spat Jindag as lightning crackled from Lana. “Prove I am a man!” He gripped his warhammer and began changing a spell, “Life energizes and enervates, let the grace of Lady Ianna empower!”

It was a spell I had never heard before.

I spat out, “Lightning crackle and hiss, gird me in the love of Lady Uttu!”

Lightning crackled in the air around me, a shield. His body grew stronger. He smiled as if he had strengthened himself in some way. I didn’t care. I set my spear and charged in at him, betting I had trained more in combat than he had.

“Waters gush and flow, let the force of Lord Enki sweep!” he roared.

A vomit of water burst from his mouth. A great flood that crashed into the floor at me and then rushed at me with the growling ferocity of a stampede of horses. The floor shook from the force of the attack sweeping at me.

Lana Fulmine rushed at the rakshasa. As Leo shouted at the dungeon builder, the lightning sprite focused on her feline enemy. Electric charge built in Lana’s wings. She threw them wide and unleashed her attack.

The thick bolts of lightning sizzled through the air.

The rakshasa leaped over Lana’s attack. And it was no small leap, she bounded high in the air, twenty or more feet. She hit her arc and hurtled down at the lightning sprite in a hissing pounce. Fangs flashed. Claws extended from the feline monster girl’s fingertips.

Lana Fulmine flapped her wings. They propelled her back in a flash.

The rakshasa landed where Lana stood. Claws slashed at her flesh, seeking to rip and tear into her. To rend her into bloody pieces. Magical chanting echoed through the room as Lana danced back. The air whipped before her.

Those claws came close to tearing open her guts. To ripping out her throat. She didn’t have time to gather her lightning as she danced on her feet to survive the scratching fury before her. Pain burst in her leg. Blood welled from three slashes on her thigh.

The rakshasa grinned, her whiskers twitching as they thrust from her cheeks. She licked at her fingers. “Delicious.”

“You’re a kinky one, aren’t you?” Lana asked. Water crashed and roared. It slammed into stone and broke like the sea on the waves. She couldn’t worry about Leo. She had to focus on the foe before her. That was why she was here.

To fight for her number one fan.

The rakshasa shrugged, tails swishing behind her. “It’s a lot more fun, you know, being a rakshasa, than my old life.”

“I couldn’t agree,” Lana shouted and channeled her time playing Jane Dangerous. She spread her wings wide, gathering her lightning.

But the Rakshasa was faster. She lunged in, claws jamming right for Lana Fulmine’s stomach. A blow that would rip through her guts and punch out the back of her. A finishing move delivered with hissing, feline delight.

The wall of water galloped at me. Frothing waves broke like the manes of trampling stallions.

My training in fighting paid off. While my mind struggled to comprehend the sudden tidal wave rushing for me, my legs threw me to the right. I hit the ground and rolled out of the way. It struck the back wall and the door, breaking over it and then dissipating as the magic summoning it ended.

I gained my feet in a flash and snarled, “Shadows flow and darkness sharpens, let the cunning of Lord Zuen stab!”

The dagger of darkness hurtled from me straight at Jindag. The dungeon builder flinched from the attacked. It struck him in the chest, punching right through his scale armor and burying deep into his vitals.

I smiled. That was a killing blow. Jindag staggered. The dagger vanished leaving a gaping wound that overflowed with blood. I had never thought I could take such delight in hurting another human being, but those girls in the cage tugged at my heartstrings.

They were all huddled together, whimpering, clutching each other. This animalistic part of me wanted to make it hurt. To torture Jindag to death. Blood bubbled from his lips. He clutched at his wound with his left hand, still holding onto his warhammer.