Dungeon Builder's Harem Book 01 Ch. 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Halia stared in shock at the dungeon builder. Leo had killed the monster girl grabbing the woman. She splashed to safety. Others were in danger. He was risking his own life against another dungeon builder's forces to protect.

It didn't make any sense to her, but the women were in danger. So she had no time to think.

Halia roared and leaped into the river. The water splashed around her. It wasn't deep here, coming up to her waist. She sloshed through it as another lightning spear, cast by Leo, slammed into an ooze. She melted away, too, freeing her victim. The other gelatinous monster girls had noticed the attack and dove beneath the water.

Halia froze. Overhead, Garnet and Lana soared while the adventurer shifted, the river stones wet beneath her feet. She stared at the water, looking for the oozes' movement. There were still four of those nasty things to cause problems.

This was a bad place to be. The washerwomen were escaping only to be stopped by the satyrs who had turned from chasing the men.

Halia moved across the water slowly towards them, tense for the attack. The oozes had all but blended in with the water. She felt like she was surrounded by them. They were moving in for the kill. She held her sword up, poised to strike at them.

The water on her right looked strange. Too thick. She thrust her blade down. The thickness darted away, vanishing from her sight. Halia swallowed. This was a mistake being in here. She had rushed wading into the river to help the other women.

A tentacle lashed about her foot. She gasped as it yanked hard. She vanished underwater.

* * / *

Garnet soared over the river. Her owner had killed two of the oozes, but there were still the satyrs to deal with. And they had dildos. That was so interesting. It made Garnet's naughty pussy just tingle at the possibilities.

The satyrs whirled around, abandoning their chase of the men. They had big boobs, and though their hair was gray, it wasn't from old age. They had youthful bodies, lean and delicious. A tingle rippled through Garnet, the succubus's tail swishing behind her.

She was so glad to be out of those ugly, baggy clothes and into wearing something proper. She hummed her delight as she swooped down, forming a whip out of shadows in her hand. She wasn't like Usiku who could make weapons.

Garnet could only make sex toys. Whips were kinky bondage gear, not weapons to her. But she could still have fun with one.

She landed down behind a satyr racing towards the women escaping the oozes. Garnet whipped her arm, the narrow lash of shadow swiping out and wrapping around the satyr's leg right above where it turned into a goat's.

Garnet yanked.

The satyr bayed like a shocked goat as she pitched face-first into the grass growing above the sandy bank. Humming happily, Garnet started pulling back on the leash, dragging the satyr to her. The monster girl thrashed, staring with such anger at her while the dildo thrust out from her pussy.

"Is that a two-headed dildo?" the wicked succubus asked. Her red, bat-like wings fluttered behind her and her tail swished back and forth. She was having so much fun. "Because that's hot. Did you make that yourself?"

"What?" the satyr asked, sounding absolutely shocked.

"The dildo," Garnet said, her wings flapping faster. "Did you make it yourself? It's super neat. It makes me so excited. Huh? Did you?"

The monster girl stared at Garnet like she was crazy. "Who is your master? Why are you attacking us?"

"Because you're being real cunts." Garnet struck a dramatic pose. "Kweh, heh, heh! My master is the sexy and strong Lord Leo! He has come to punish you for attacking those poor women. You should be seducing them, not molesting them. It's wrong. But don't worry, he shall punish--"

The satyr took advantage of Garnet's speech to bolt to her feet and charge at the succubus, horns lowered to gore the girl. Garnet gasped at just how rude that gesture was.

"I was monologuing!" she hissed as those sharp horns hurtled at her.

* * / *

Lana Fulmine soared with Garnet across the battlefield. She stared down at the satyrs. Annoyance shot through the movie starlet. She had seen such predator behavior before. Producers in Hollywood thought they could do what they wanted with young women just like this despicable dungeon builder.

You're not getting away with it! My number one fan will stop you!

And Lana would help.

Garnet broke off to go after one satyr. She wasn't as combat-focused as Lana Fulmine. The lightning sprite's wings crackled with lightning. She fired a bolt down at one of the satyrs. The sizzling lightning struck the monster girl in the face.

Sparks flared. The satyr flew back and hit the ground, spasming. Smoke rose from her face, a blackened wound appearing where the bolt struck. Two of the fleeing women took advantage to leap over the dead or stunned monster girl and flee for the village. Several of the men had rallied and covered them with crossbow bolts while alarms rang from Astovin itself.

"You're not getting any girls!" Lana Fulmine shouted at the enemy monster girls.

She hardly noticed Halia vanishing beneath the waves. The lightning sprite focused on a satyr driving back the wet women, corralling them to be captured again. The movie starlet's anger flared. Lightning crackled between the golden strands of her hair. Her wings, formed out of electricity, flared with white-hot plasma.

A bolt sizzled down and struck the satyr in the back. She sprawled forward, kicking and spasming. Lana smiled her triumph as she soared out over the river. Two satyrs dead or stunned, a third distracted by Garnet. Things were going great.

As she banked to start her next run, tentacles burst out of the water and seized her by the legs. They yanked hard. She lost her momentum and hurtled down for the sandy bank. She struck hard. Her head reeled from the attack, stars bursting across her vision.

Mind foggy, she hardly noticed the tentacle wrapped around her foot. It dragged her for the water.

* * / *

Things could be going better. Halia vanished beneath the water and Lana crashed on the shore. The four oozes in the water would be an issue. Across the river, the three remaining satyrs were grabbing women to carry them off, slinging them over their shoulders.

"Fuck," I growled.

"Darkness hides and shadows conceal, let the curse of Lord Zuen fall!" I chanted.

I hit one of the satyrs. She stumbled and tripped, dropping the woman that she had picked up. She stood up, looking around, confused. She rubbed at her face like she thought she could wipe off what I had cast on her.

Bursting out of the brush on the other side of the river was Cysgo. My wildhound leaped on another satyr, knocking her to the ground. The two village girls being carried off tumbled across the ground. Free, they scrambled to their feet and ran as the two monster girls rolled over the ground. Cysgo bit into the satyr's shoulder.

The satyr thrashed and bucked. The pair spilled around each other as they fought. I hoped my monster girl would be all right. I turned to the river. I had to help Lana. She was struggling to move as the ooze pulled her into the water.

I could see the tentacle holding her but not the ooze. "Shadows flow and darkness sharpens, let the cunning of Lord Zuen stab!"

A dagger of shadows flung from me and struck the tentacle, cutting it in half. Lana scrawled from it, rolling over onto her back. She rubbed at her face, wiping away sand. She flexed her wings, each crackling with lightning.

An ooze burst out of the water before her, more tentacles rushing for my movie starlet.

* * / *

Halia thrashed underwater.

The ooze's tentacles were all around her, gripping her body. She hit the bottom, metal armor thudding on the river stones. It rang hollowly in the water. She kicked her feet, silt rising from the floor then washed away by the current.

For a moment, it spilled over something. A shape.

Halia stared at it and realized it was the ooze. The monster girl blended in with the water, but it was thicker. Fighting against breathing, her lungs burning, Halia kicked again. She was the daughter of Anguin. The great hero who slew Argian the White and Thunder Hammer Gludhug. She would not die this way. She would slay her enemies.

She kicked a rock with her foot, spilling up mud in the process. The current caught it, carrying it away. It spilled over the monster girl. Halia thrust with her blessed blade. The weapon hummed through the water. It struck that thicker patch, sinking into gel.

The tentacles about her body twitched and then tightened. They squeezed about her, compressing her legs and stomach. Pain flared. Bubbles burst from Halia's mouth. She thrashed in the embrace. Trapped.

But she wouldn't let herself die here. She would escape. She slashed her father's enchanted blade through the water. She cut through the ooze's tentacle. She felt that moment of slicing contact. Then it writhed and contracted. The tentacles holding her melted away.

Freed, she burst up to the surface and sucked in air.

* * / *

Lana Fulmine stared at the ooze rising out of the water. One of the creature's hair-tentacles ended in a ragged tear. She hissed and sent the others at the movie starlet. The lightning sprite struggled to move, but her mind still felt fuzzed by the impact.

Lightning crackled. A bolt struck the ooze from behind. The monster girl's back arched. Then her body melted. Those big boobs dissolved into sludge that spilled onto the bank, the blue oozing across the ground.

Leo stood on the other side of the river. He looked so strong and bold. Lana smiled at him. Halia burst out of the water nearby. She raised her sword defensively, but Lana had eyes only for her owner. The man who had brought her to this world and given her a new purpose.

A new life that was so freeing and exciting.

The sex. The fighting. Her new form. It was all so enticing. She shuddered as she rose, so happy to be his. He pointed his hand and another bolt of lightning arched across the river and struck a satyr in the ass. She pitched over, spilling out her woman.

Leo grinned, looking proud of himself for saving those women.

The tentacles burst out of the water and wrapped about him in a flash. One squeezed about his neck, choking off his shout. Then he was yanked forward and crashed into the river, vanishing beneath the washing waves.

"Leo!" screamed Lana and threw herself at the water.

* * / *

The tentacle gripped my throat. It was wrapped tight about my neck, choking off my air. I thrashed as I twisted along the river bottom. The ooze had me. I could just see her face before me, translucent and dark. She had a look of anger in her eyes.

I had killed her fellow oozes. Their souls would return to their owner's Void Crystal to be reborn to serve at his whim. That didn't change that she hated me for it. She was choking me underwater. I thrashed, unable to speak the words of magic.

Unable to fight back with magic.

I had strengthened my body. I grabbed her tentacles. My fingers squeezed about them. They were gelatinous, but they compressed. I squeezed them tight. She just squeezed tighter about my throat. Not even bubbles escaped my lips.

My heart hammered. Black spots appeared about my vision. A lethargy descended on me. My thoughts grew sluggish as my lungs burned. Something shone bright above. I reached up for it. So pretty. My body relaxed as it just grew easier to surrender.

Why fight?

Everything was slipping away. The world shrinking to pinpricks.

A humming sound pierced the water. It buzzed louder. A scream echoed through the water. The tentacles around me thrashed and convulsed. They released my throat. I didn't care. It was so peaceful. The darkness slid over me.

* * / *

What are you doing? Halia demanded as she yanked her sword out of the dying ooze.

She thrust her left hand into the water and grabbed the front of Leo's robe. She hauled him out of the river. He sputtered for breath, his eyes fluttering beneath his lids. His body kicked as she dragged him to the shore.

He's the enemy. Let him drown!

She pushed him onto the shore, his head and shoulders. He shuddered, his body twitching. Lana landed, the lightning sprite grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him the rest of the way out of the water.

"Duck!" she gasped, lightning crackling over her wings.

Halia did, falling to her knees in the water. It rose to her neck. The lightning bolt sizzled over the warrior's head and struck something. A wet sizzle and then splashes. She turned around to see a melting ooze, the last one, vanishing into the river. The current washed her away.

"Thanks," Halia said, her voice tight.

"You're welcome," Lana said. "I mean, you did save Leo. Thank you for that."

Halia nodded. She didn't understand it. If he had died, it would be one less dungeon builder to threaten the world. And yet he had fought to protect the women. They had all escaped now, being escorted back by the men. A few had even grabbed the wounded men, dragging them to get help. One of the satyrs stumbled blind on the other side of the river until she was feathered with crossbow bolts. The other lay beneath the wildhound. She vanished into the brush.

Moans came from the last. Halia blinked at what the succubus was up to.

"Thanks," croaked Leo. "You saved me."

"We all make mistakes," Halia muttered.

He burst into laughter like that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. She frowned at him as she stood up on unsteady legs. He looked out at the river, seeing that they had won. They had driven back the other dungeon builder's minions.

"Why did you do it?" she asked him. "Are you thinking of conquering Astovin? Is this just you defending what you think is yours?"

"Fuck, no," he said. He nodded across the river to the villagers. "It was protecting them. Those helpless women. That cocksucker sent his monster girls to kidnap them. That's not right. Not fucking right at all."

Halia believed him. She didn't know what to make of this evil man. He didn't act like any of the dungeon builders she had ever heard of. But he had power. He had two glyphs, which meant he had killed another dungeon builder. The Dark one, she guessed, who had started operating in this area until he'd gone silent.

"What do you plan to do next?" Halia asked him.

"That's a very good question," he said then frowned. "What is Garnet doing?"