Dungeon Builder's Harem Book 01 Ch. 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"That's it," Cysgo whispered. She crouched behind a bush and stared out at the cliff wall. We were in a canyon in the hills, the entrance choked with brush. There was a narrow path through them. It was clearly intentional. We were in the dungeon builder's lair.

A shiver ran through me. My fingers flexed. We were about to attack another dungeon builder. Just blitz his home and overrun him. I sucked in a deep breath. My heart pounded. This would be crazy. I hoped we would be fine.

I didn't want to lose anyone. "Things still good at the dungeon, Usiku?"

"They are, Leo," she said with some amusement. "Stop worrying about us and worry about those poor girls. Not even Mthunzi had done something so terrible."

I nodded. "Where's the entrance, Cysgo?"

"You see where the wall juts out? It's behind there."

I placed my hand on her head between her dog-like ears. The wildhound grinned up at me as I petted her while her tail wagged furiously behind her. I scratched her a few times. Her entire body quivered.

"Okay," I said. "Hela, you and your sisters scout. We're behind you."

"Yes, Master," she said and then scampered forward, Cysgo and Ci on her tail. They moved with quiet steps. They reached the crack and peered around the corner. Then they vanished around it.

My stomach tightened as I moved up with my monster girls and Halia. Sviesos and Zaibas took up the rear. If this place had defenses against lightning, I wanted them held back. I adjusted my armor. They had brought it for me to wear. I had my lightning spear in hand, the tip crackling with energy.

I had trained for this. Usiku had coached me. I was ready for the fight. More ready than I had been when Mthunzi had assaulted my labyrinth. I reached the crack and waited for the wildhounds' report. My heart pounded. My sister quivered beside me. Halia held her sword tight.

"We found a door," said Hela. "It's iron and locked."

I blinked. "Does anyone know how to pick a lock?"

"We have you covered, Lord Leo," Hela said. "We're good with locks."

"Wait for us," I sent.

I went around the corner into the dark room. It was nearly pitch black after a few steps, the daylight falling off sharply. But then the will o' wisps glowed bright. Blue light spilled from them, revealing the three wildhounds crouched before an iron door. Hela had her claw inside the lock. I heard a click. She glanced at me, arching her eyebrow.

I nodded.

She opened it and we flowed into the room. My heart surged up into my chest. He had had the time to restore his monster girls to life. The satyrs and oozes could be waiting for us again, all ready to do the fight a second time.

Water dripped from the ceiling of the tunnel. It was cut into the rock. Unadorned with anything. The wildhounds moved forward at a crouch, their heads down and asses up in the air. Tails swished back and forth as they sniffed.

"Look at those pussies," Garnet groaned. She smacked her lips. "Don't you just want to devour them and fuck them?"

"We should make as little noise as possible," Halia whispered.

"Right." Garnet glanced at me. "You getting horny for some wildhound pussy, big bro? I know I am."

"You have a one-track mind," I sent back.

Lana Fulmine snorted and nodded in agreement.

Garnet grabbed my free arm. "That's why you love me, right?"

"I love you for a lot of reasons," I thought, staring at her crimson eyes. She had her black hair gathered back into pigtails.

Halia glanced at us and shook her head. "Never knew about dungeon builders and their telepathy. It explains a lot."

"We all come from his soul," said Sviesos. "The Void Crystal just gives him the power to make us manifest. Otherwise, it holds us when we are not needed."

"We sleep then," Zaibas added. "It's pleasant."

Lana Fulmine nodded.

"It's a labyrinth," said Hela. "There are branching paths. This place twists and turns."

"Can you find us through, or do we have to go down all the side passages?"

"Scents are muddled." I could see them again. They were at an intersection, noses down. "Oozes and satyrs go in all directions from here. They--"

All three went still. Their tails thrust upward. Then they turned to the left and pounced. Hoofs thudded. Growls and baas echoed. I rushed up the hallway at the sound of battle. They fought with satyrs.

We hit the intersection. The three wildhounds fought with two satyrs. One of the satyrs had grabbed Ci and had her pinned against the wall. The satyr's head lowered to gore my wildhound. Panic shot through me. Magic flowed.

"Spark of lightning, crackle of electricity, let the wrath of Lord Enlil explode!" I chanted as the horns plunged in.

They buried into Ci's chest. She howled in pain.

The lightning bolt crackled and struck the satyr. She collapsed smoking. Ci fell over her, bleeding out. Her sister wildhounds pulled down the other satyr. Claws ripped and teeth bit. The satyr kicked and gurgled.

"Lord Leo," Ci whimpered, her life spilling out of her. "I'll dream... of you..."

She went still. The satyr she fell over melted away. Then Ci dissolved into motes, returning to the Void Crystal. Despite that, tears touched my eyes. The pain she felt was real. She might not be dead, but she had suffered for me.

I gripped my spear.

Something wet landed on me. It spilled over me, thick and viscous. I gasped as it covered my mouth. It poured into my throat. I couldn't breathe. I felt the gelatinous goo all around me, suffocating me.

* * / *

Lana Fulmine gasped at the sight of the ooze girl who had dropped down from the ceiling. The blue, gelatinous woman had slid her pussy over his head, distending her hips and belly. Lana could see his face buried into the ooze's snatch through her skin. He grabbed at her thigh with his left hand, fingers sinking into her flesh.

Fear shot through the lightning sprite.

"No!" Halia gasped. She swung her sword, cutting through a tentacle that lashed out from the monster girl. It fell to the ground with a wet splat. The buzzing blade thrust forward, slamming into the monster girl's torso.

Did nothing to her.

"Eww, gross!" Garnet gasped, seized by another tentacle. "I don't want to play hentai with you. Not when you're smothering my big brother!" Shadows flared in her hands. Then she whipped at the ooze. It struck the enemy monster girl's gelatinous body, flesh rippling.

Leo dropped his spear. The sparking blade clattered on the ground. Lightning crackled from Lana's wings. She threw them wide. The energy sizzled over her when the sound of hooves thudding on the ground drew her attention.

She whirled to find a satyr rushing at her from another corridor, horns lowered. She unleashed her lightning. It blasted from her wings and struck the satyr in the chest. The monster girl fell to the ground in a quivering pile.

Leo's knees collapsed. He fell to the ground. He was on his hands and knees, suffocating. Garnet frantically whipped at the succubus with her shadows. The wildhounds growled, but they were wrapped up by another ooze. She had them in her tentacles and pulled their heads into her body to drown them.

Lana focused her electrical charge. She had to fire her bolt, but he was thrashing so much. Halia cursed and slashed at another ooze dripping from the ceiling, narrowly avoiding getting engulfed, too. Her blade cut through a pair of arms, dropping them to the ground. Then she slashed through the torso and did nothing.

"Lady Sherida, aid me!" gasped Halia as tentacles seized her sword arm and jerked her forward.

Lana's lightning bolts were not precise. If she missed, she could kill the thrashing Leo. Then they would all die. Garnet sobbed, her wings flapping as she fought against the tentacle pulling her in to be engulfed. The ooze laughed.

She enjoyed herself as she smothered Leo.

I have to act! Lana Fulmine told herself. You played Jane Dangerous. What would she do?

She would grab something useful from the environment. She would think on her feet. Whatever she needed would be at hand. A weapon that had fallen, a magical artifact on a pedestal, an innocuous item in her belt pouch. Something that...

Her eyes fell on the silver spear, the tip sparking with electricity.

She picked it up and thrust it at the ooze, aiming well above Leo's head. The spear tip lanced into the ooze. The electricity arced through her gelatinous body. Her flesh spasmed and roiled. Then she dissolved into a puddle.

Leo ripped his head free, panting and coughing. He sucked in breaths.

"You saved him!" Garnet shouted, tears in her eyes. "Lana, Lana, you saved him!"

"Little help!" Halia gasped.

The warrior woman had her body being pulled into the ooze by her sword arm. Unable to swing her weapon, she couldn't resist. Her boots slid across the floor. The ooze had a big grin on her face, smiling in delight.

Lana thrust the spear over Halia's shoulder and into the gelatinous face of the ooze. Her beautiful features spasmed as the electricity coursed through her. Halia stumbled free as the slain ooze melted into a puddle and vanished.

Lightning zapped to the left, strobing the air. The will o' wisps had rushed to the wildhounds aid. They had shoved hands into the ooze and zapped her. She now melted away, freeing Cysgo and Hela from their own drowning.

"Fuck me," panted Leo. "That was a good ambush."

"I don't like these oozes," groaned Garnet. "They're icky. Hentai should be a lot more fun than that. It was scary."

"Hentai?" asked Halia.

"She's talking about tentacle sex," Leo said. "Come on, we have to keep moving. Hela, Cysgo, which way?"

The two wildhounds put their noses to the ground as Leo picked himself up. Lana handed over his spear and then shuddered when he cupped her face and kissed her. A shiver went through her at the feel of her number one fan's lips.

No, Lana Fulmine didn't miss Hollywood and making movies. She was doing something important. They would save those poor village girls.

* * / *

"This way, Lord Leo!" growled Cysgo. She pointed to the right. "I smell humans."

Hela nodded.

"Lead on," I growled.

They both scampered ahead. Cysgo bounded at the lead. She landed on the floor and it vanished beneath her. She yelped and then came a sickening crunch as she hit the bottom of the pit trap. I closed my eyes as I felt her essence melt away, returned to the Void Crystal.

Hela stopped at the edge, her tail thrust straight up. Of course, there would be traps. I had traps in my dungeon. Hela edged around the hole, peering down. Her body shuddered. I just hoped Cysgo's death was painless.

I had to make it up to her when I healed her. And Ci, too.

Hela moved slower. She went around another section of the floor. I swallowed, staring at it. I couldn't see any sign of a trap at all, but I believed Hela that there was something there. I wasn't about to take any chances. I gripped my spear and kept going.

At the next intersection, she sniffed around and then she moved to the right, moving cautiously. I gripped my spear. I could have thirteen monster girls active at a time. He could have four or five more still around. Where were they? Waiting down dead ends to attack us from behind?

We avoided two more traps as we wound through the labyrinth. And then we came to another locked door. Hela sniffed at it and then shoved her claw in. She fumbled at it, her tail wagging back and forth.

"Come on," she muttered. "I... Yes!"

She opened the door.

Hooves clopped behind us. Sviesos yelped in surprise then screamed in pain. I whirled to see lightning arching from Zaibas's hand. She struck a satyr. But the monster girl had already done damage. Sviesos fell to the ground, lightning zapping from her wound. The incandescent gas that made up her body then hissed out of the puncture wounds. She seemed to deflate. She stared up at me.

"Sorry, Lord Leo," she cried and then she vanished.

Zaibas swallowed. "She hit Sviesos before I could react, Lord Leo."

"It's okay," I muttered. I felt sick that my poor monster girls were suffering. They were protecting Halia and me. We were the only two that couldn't come back.

"This room is full of vines," said Hela. "I don't like it."

I wrenched my gaze from where Sviesos had vanished. There could be four or five monster girls left. I flexed my fingers and then I whirled and followed Hela into the room with the vines. It was lit like it was daylight in here. Bright and sunny. The room held warmth. An abundance of natural beauty.

"Life magic," whispered Halia.

"Yeah, what can it do?" I asked, eyeing the thick vines that hid the stone walls. More creepers spread over the ceiling.

"Heal," Halia said. "And control plants."

"Oh," I said. Then I groaned. "Oh, fuck!"

The vines attacked.

From every direction, whipping vines surged at us. They slammed into our bodies, wrapping around arms and legs. I grunted, twisting to dodge them. But there were too many of them. They wrapped around my legs and arms. I tried to thrust my spear at them, but they had my limb bound tight.

Garnet gasped, her small titties jiggling as they pulled her arms over her head, seized by green tendrils from the ceiling. Others had her legs and wrapped around her torso. They squeezed about her naked flesh, digging into her skin.

She screamed in pain.

A moment later, so did I. Thorns bit into my wrists, digging at the flesh. Blood welled around where they held my skin. They tore through my socks. Hela ripped at her attacker with her teeth, savaging through the green vines that had seized her. Zaibas crackled with electricity. Her vines smoked about her body, blackening where they touched her roiling, blue flesh.

"Leo!" Lana Fulmine shouted. Her wings flared wide, crackling with electricity. Then she discharged a blast before her, sizzling the vines that surged in at her. They blackened and smoked. Some burst into flames.

But the ones from behind her grabbed her. She gasped as they seized her by the waist, digging into her silvery skin. Her golden hair crackled as she screamed out her pain. More surged down at us. Garnet thrashed.

Halia hacked.

She sliced her sword, the blade humming as it danced through the air. It sang as she hacked and sliced and cut her way through the incoming damage. She growled through her teeth and pivoted in the spot, her boots jiggling as she slashed through them all.

"Lightning crackle and hiss, gird me in the love of Lady Uttu!" I chanted as fresh vines squeezed about my breastplate, the metal groaning from the strain.

A field of crackling electricity burst around me. The vines holding me shriveled and sizzled. My little sister screamed, her face contorting in pain. Her leathery wings fluttered. A tendril grabbed one, squeezing about it.

"No, no, no!" she screeched.

I broke free of the scorching vines. I slashed my spear as a sword before me. I cut into the tendrils binding my sister. Fury beat in my heart as I did. I cut with vigor. Halia hacked behind me. Hela tore herself free. She dodged a pair of incoming vines and darted toward Zaibas.

"Lord Leo!" Zaibas screamed.

I cut the vines holding my sister's wings. Garnet's red eyes stared at me with such pain and yet with hope. "Big bro!"

Halia swept around Lana Fulmine. Hela reached Zaibas and tore at the vines squeezing about her breasts, blue mist spilling from her wounds. The static aura remained on me, crisping black any vines that surged down to grab me.

It was hard hacking with any control with my spear. It was a stabbing weapon, but Garnet was in trouble. I wasn't about to let her suffer. I cut her free. She stumbled back, blood spilling around her wrists. She rubbed at them, whimpering. More blood oozed around her waist.

"You saved me, big bro!" she cheered, her eyes shining. She went to hug me but I held a hand out.

"You'll get hurt. The spell."

"Oh, right." She grinned at me. "You'll never get a girl if you surround yourself in deadly lightning, big bro."

"Really?" I asked her. "If you're not my girl, then what are you?"

She giggled, her tail swishing behind her. "I'm your cute succubus. I'm not a girl any longer. I'm something better. Something far, far more adorable." She formed a heart with her hands and rested her chin on it. "Right?"

"Not the time!" Halia growled. She had hacked free Lana while Hela had finished tearing Zaibas free. But there were still vines surging in on us.

I nodded and then marched forward. "Door!"

Lightning burst from Lana. She fired the lightning out at them, clearing out space before us. Zaibas grabbed tendrils leaping down at her and shriveled them with her powers. Hela dodged, ripping and tearing. Halia hacked. She looked magnificent, her braid of black hair flowing behind her as she fought.

We battled away across the vine-covered room. Halia's sword sliced vines that attacked from the floor, wrapping around feet. Garnet hovered behind me. My spear slashed before us. Smoke billowed through the room, the plants sizzling and burning from the electricity damage.

We reached the far end. I grabbed the door and yanked it open. Something clicked.

"Big Bro!" Garnet shouted and slammed into me.