Dungeon Builder's Harem Book 03 Ch. 14

Chapter Fourteen

I began my exploration for the First Dungeon. But I was also hoping to find more Mana Veins. So while I was helping Fara with her goal of understanding dungeon builders, I was working on finding more power. I needed it. I wanted to get to the next level of magic. I had to be stronger.

The mayor's warning had me worried. Neither Halia nor Fara had any idea of what Lord Shorvin could be doing that was worse than calling on stronger adventurers to attack me. "Unless it's a crusade," Halia said. "That would be bad."

"A crusade?" I asked. "A holy war."

"If he can get the Temple Authority to agree to call on a crusade, armies will be gathered to attack you. Not just bands of adventurers, but a concerted effort to siege you out and kill you. It'll be thousands and thousands of soldiers, weaker than adventurers, but numbers have their own weight."

"Damn," I muttered. "That sounds serious. What do we do?"

"Well, if it was a crusade - and those are rare since it means weakening strong territories threatened by their own dungeon builders - to, frankly, attack one that is as remote as us, it seems unlikely. We are not threatening Myrecilla yet."

"Never," I muttered. I had no intentions of attacking the city to the south of us. It was beyond Lord Shorvin's estates.

"And Mayor Bevlin would have heard the call," added Fara. "That sort of event cannot be kept quiet. Instead, it will be on the tongue of every crier and carried by every merchant. So I cannot think of what it is. Unless he has made a pact with another dungeon builder."

"Does that happen?" I asked in shock.

"It... has." Halia squirmed. "There have been those who use dungeon builders to destroy rivals. It is a course of folly since you cannot trust most dungeon builders." My paladin glanced at me, giving me an apologetic look.

I raised a forestalling hand. "Should we start reconnoitering his estate? Use the wildhounds or the arachnes?"

"It's dangerous, Lord Leo." Halia put her hand on her blessed sword. It had been her father's. She had inherited it after he had died trying to kill Fuegin. Anguin had a reputation for killing several powerful dungeon builders before he met his end. From what I understood, Fuegin was the most powerful of us. He had conquered several kingdoms and ruled them. He claimed he made things better in his territory and that he had only done it to protect himself. They kept escalating their attacks on him, so he had to respond in kind.

I wanted to believe that since he was the only dungeon builder who had extended me a hand in friendship. He wanted to learn about our origin and purpose, too. Until he showed himself false, I would give him a wary sort of trust.

I sunk tunnels into the mountain beneath my dungeon, exploring. It was always strange driving exploratory shafts. I could feel the stone melting away. I was digging through the layers of rocks and the minerals they had. When I removed my tunnels, what I had destroyed, whether veins of precious metals, clusters of precious gems, or interesting pockets of stone would all be restored. Like the world remembered what was here before I had meddled.

My dungeon was an intruder that was replacing sections of reality with my Will. So long as my words shaped my dungeon through the Void Crystal, I imposed my desire upon this world. So why would this First Dungeon still be around?

"You sure it exists?" I asked Fara in between sessions.

"Of course I am," she said.

"But how? If the Void Crystal is destroyed, surely this all vanishes." I looked around. "At least once any minds not bound to the Crystal exit the dungeon."

"They stay," said Halia. "They can become haunts for bandits or dragons. Even if the Void Crystal is destroyed. Those that are not destroyed because the builder was too cunning in hiding it, do not decay. They remain as they were in the past."

"I see," I said and sank more shafts.

Three times adventurers attacked, stopping my exploration.

The first group did not get past the basilisks and the werebears in the entrance. Though a few of my monster girls died, the poor adventurers hadn't stood a chance. Between the basilisks' petrifying breath and the werebears' brute strength, they were in for a tough opening.

It annoyed me I had to stop exploring and deal with it. I didn't want to kill adventurers, but I was growing less and less concerned about it. More calloused to their deaths. If they turned and fled, I would let them escape, but if they kept going, it was their own fault.

The second group penetrated farther. Smerta and Feya coordinated the defenses from their forward command room. The group made it to the stalactite room and there met their end, but not before hurting my monster girls.

That pissed me off. Every time I had to bring a monster girl back to life, she had suffered for me. She had endured pain. Their deaths weren't always pretty. Mages threw fireballs and lightning around. Rogues used poisoned blades. Warriors hacked with massive weapons.

My monster girls suffered for me. Every time they came back to life, though, they had smiles on their lips.

They were proud that they had died for me.

Which made me hate the adventurers more and more. I could feel it wearing down my humanity. It was hard not to care when a cute wildhound came back to life, and I knew she had died bloody.

The third group was stronger still. They decimated the defenders of the First Labyrinth. Smerta herself died. They had a Paladin of Lord Anshar with them that had been able to endure her weapon and then took off her head. They left so many dead monster girls in their wake.

They penetrated the Lightning Column Room, their mage warding them from the electric attacks while their priest bolstered their spirits. They broke through to the second labyrinth. But here, the tide turned. The arachnes struck from ambush.

Before they were ready, their mage was wrapped up in webbing, their priest bitten and dying of poison. The rogue managed to kill one arachne, but the others webbed up the paladin. Though he called upon his cold power, the arachnes held him long enough for the rest of the werebears and basilisks to arrive and finish off the party.

I had many, many monster girls to revive after them.

It was frustrating, but my dungeon defenses were working. My monster girls were doing their jobs. They were happy fighting and dying, which only made my heart heavier. If they weren't cute girls I loved, this would be so much easier.

I wouldn't have this growing anger in me. This resentment that I had to watch out for.

It wasn't long after the third battle, that I sank a tunnel deep and ran into something. I broke into an open space. Not a natural cave. I could sense that I had found a tunnel. I explored down it, opening up space around it.

There it was. A man-made hallway.

I released the Void Crystal and glanced at Fara. "I think we found it."

The elf glanced at me from the desk she had me set up in the Vault where she was doing her work, writing down what she had learned about dungeon builders and monster girls for sharing with the world in the future.

"You are certain?" she asked, her already large eyes even wider.

"I think so," I said.

I paced in the Vault, then I sent out a telepathic message: "Usiku and my companions, meet me in the map room. Halia, you, too."

I hurried out of the Vault, Fara on my heels. The elf seemed giddy with excitement. We passed through the living quarters. Most of my companions were in here. I had expanded the living areas. Added what few games they had in this world, which amounted to backgammon, checkers, and various versions of chess that had strange rules I wasn't used to.

We all headed to my throne room, the largest part of the dungeon. I headed straight for the map and shifted it down the levels to where we had found the tunnel. It was deep underground. I showed off the room and there it was, the tunnel around mine.

"Your dungeon didn't break through it," said Maya as she studied it.

"That makes sense," Hagane said, adjusting her glasses. "If Fara's version of history is correct, Meskalamdug wasn't killed in his dungeon but had retreated to it and was never seen again. Presumed dead. Then there is an active Void Crystal down there making sure his dungeon is intact."

"Yeah," I said. "That makes sense."

"We have to explore it," Terra said. "This is so interesting."

"It'll be dangerous," my mom said.

"Oh, yeah," Crystal said. My big sister glanced at me. "You up for getting dirty spelunking someone else's dungeon?" She smirked. "Wait, you already are a dirty, dirty boy."

I gave her a look.

"You have to take a guard with you, Lord Leo," Usiku said. "Monster girls that can explore for traps. You want to make sure you have the best at sniffing them out. The wildhounds. All of them."

"Yes, the puppies are so good at it, big bro," my little sister said, her red wings fluttering.

"And a mix of other monster girls," Maya added. "For protection."

"Not too many," Lana Fulmine pointed out. "There should be nothing alive in the dungeon, just traps. You'll want to leave enough up here to protect the dungeon. We can survive having the wildhounds pulled out, just not too many of the other ones."

"I am coming," said Fara. Her ears twitched. "I must come."

"Of course," I said. "You'll stay behind me while we scout ahead. Halia, you, too. You're an adventurer. Your instincts will be invaluable down there."

"I would be glad to go," she said.

"Mrs. Lucina for your light, Maya and Garnet because you two won't be left behind."

"Yes!" Garnet fist pumped. "Kweh, heh, heh, we shall conquer Meskalamdug's dungeon and plunder all its secrets."

Maya rolled her eyes.

"Hagane," I said, glancing at my nerdy monster girl. "You might have ideas or see something we miss. Usiku in case there is something down there dangerous. We'll take Paanee, too. Plus all the wildhounds."

"And the other monster girls?" my mother asked. She gave me a concerned look.

"A will o' wisp, arachne, satyr, werebear, basilisk, orc, yuki-onna, and a unicorn," I said. "A small party. It'll be a tight fit down there." I glanced over at Lana Fulmine. "You're in charge while I'm gone." She was my first companion; it only felt right to let her command.

"I wish you would take more," said my mother.

"It's smart," Terra said. "We're still getting attacked by adventurers. That last group made it to the Second Labyrinth."

"No, this is enough," I said. "The rest of you will be able to handle it. If need be, you can join the fight before it gets to the throne room."

"We won't fail you," said Lana Fulmine. "I'll keep us safe."

I winked at her. "I know."

Fara just squirmed. "When can we go? Now?"

"I have to make a way for us to get down there." I stretched my back. "And it's been a long day. Tomorrow, Fara. Tomorrow. First thing. We'll have provisions for the three of us, and I need to make a way for us to get down. An elevator, I'd say." Elevators were easy to make. Could I make a horizontal one to make getting to Astovin easier?

That was something to look into.

"Very well, Lord Leo, tomorrow," Fara said. "My excitement to explore this site is getting the better of me."

"I get it," I said, grinning at her. "Trust me, it's not going anywhere. It's been down there for five thousand or so years. One more day won't matter."

"Very wise," she said.

* * / *

Fauraliiithiliana had trouble sleeping.

Lord Leo had created a private room for her to sleep in off the main living area. Through Astovin, he had procured her some books to stock the library. The search for the dungeon had taken over a week. It had been a tedious affair but now they had found it. She could not wait.

She had spent the night tossing and turning. Though her room was lit by magical lanterns, she was well aware that she was beneath all those mountains. She was far from the forest home of her people. No great trees towering over her. No breeze on her face as she slept with her windows open to nature. The scents of leaves, flowers, and bark did not fill her nose.

Stone. Stone. More Stone.

Still, she did not care. She was in an alien place, but it was worth it to find the secrets that she craved. She would explore this dungeon and find out the secrets of the first builder. The one who had first come to this world.

Who was he really?

Why was he brought?

How had this all started?

Only fragments of the past were remembered. So much had been lost thanks to the actions of the marauding dungeon builders. The tragedy of it could not be denied. It was terrible that all that knowledge had not been passed down.

It changes tomorrow, Fauraliiithiliana thought over and over again as she lay on her bed.

Finally, she could stand being in her bed no longer. She wandered out of her bedroom and headed into the dungeon. She padded on bare feet through the dungeon. The stones were not cold to her touch like they should be. Nor was the air chilly. The dungeon was at the perfect temperature to walk naked through it.

Nothing in it could hurt her. I am a denizen of a dungeon, she thought as she passed through the throne room. Nothing more than a monster girl myself. A useless one in a fight, but, still, I will be killed with the rest of them when Leo's defeat comes.

And it would come. No dungeon builder lasted forever. Fuegin the Inferno might have been around for fifty years and controlled a large tract of land, but a hero or another builder would kill him one day. He could grow lax and an uprising could happen. Someone would kill him.

A new tyrant would take his place.

The cycle would continue over and over again. How long before Leo was immersed in it? Would his perceived weakness of not conquering let other dungeon builders think they could challenge him? He had already killed four of them, including the rising powers of the Twins.

And I am in the middle of his court, Fauraliiithiliana thought. A traitor to my people and world. But she didn't feel like a traitor. She felt like an explorer, a hero fighting in her own way to save her world. To end the scourge of the dungeon builders, their origin had to be understood. Whatever brought them to her world had a beginning.

It could have an ending, too.

She pondered these thoughts as she passed the guard room where Usiku, Paanee, and Baaghi slept. Monster girls didn't need sleep, but they must cherish their dreams. They would waken the moment there was an intrusion.

She padded down the hallway and to the water room. The bridge was up and accessible. It would be lowered when the dungeon was attacked. The mermaids were more than happy to operate it for Fauraliiithiliana.

She navigated the third labyrinth with ease, nodding to the orcs and their golden weapons. Not iron, but gold. That was different. She filed that away. She passed the yuki-onna's fridge room, not feeling the cold on her body. She gained the stairs to the second labyrinth, chatting with the arachnes as they scuttled on the ceiling.

Her restlessness passed her through the Lightning Column Room and into the first labyrinth. The wildhounds and satyrs were excited to see her, as horny as always, but Fauraliiithiliana didn't desire to have sex. She wanted to feel the air on her face.

She reached the guard room, nodding to the werebears and basilisks, and took the elevator up to the Observation Tower. She climbed up it and stood at its pinnacle. Here, the cold, night air rippled over her naked body. But the wind was real.

The smells of nature were exhilarating.

Her ears twitched and her black hair fluttered in the breeze. She hardly felt the cold as she stared down towards Astovin to the west. Behind her, the world lightened. She turned to face the snowy peaks and watched the sun climb over them.

It was almost time. She drew in deep breaths, rejuvenated by leaving the dungeon behind while still enjoying its protection. She was still in Lord Leo's power right here, hidden by his illusion. She closed her eyes and savored being beneath the blue sky.

She missed her home, but this was where she belonged. Fauraliiithiliana believed that with her entire being.

And then she was no longer standing on the tower. She was in the throne room. Halia, Garnet, Maya, Hagane, Mrs. Lucina, Paanee, and Usiku were in a circle with her. Around them had appeared the wildhounds (Hela, Ci, Du, Nos, Gwyllt, Cysgo, and Marwo). Sviesos the will o' wisp, Nimhe the arachne, Havas the satyr, Daant the werebear, Piaro the basilisk, Slepkavi the orc, Prekrasnyy the yuki-onna, and Kin the unicorn.

"That is disconcerting," Fauraliiithiliana said, blinking. She was still naked, but she was not at the tower.

"You weren't in your room," Garnet said. "If you were feeling restless, I would have fucked you. You're fun to fuck."

Mrs. Lucina shook her head, her halo glowing over her face and her angelic wings fluttering. "You have a one-track mind, Garnet."

"Yep!" Garnet said. "I'm just what Leo wants me to be. A dirty, dirty girl like him."

"He's a girl?" Maya asked. "News to me."

"Ssss, he's a man," Paanee said, her armless body swaying, her boobs jiggling. "Massster is a man with a big, throbbing cock."

Garnet puffed out her cheeks. "You know what I meant, Maya! My big bro's a big perv, and so am I!"

"That he is," Maya agreed. "Shame he can't teleport himself around. It's cool he brought us together, but now..." She tapped her foot, sending waves rippling up her watery form, distorting the curves of her body, even her face.

Which was freckled, Fauraliiithiliana noted. Little dots of darker water marked them. Monster girls are so fascinating.

She glanced over at Nimhe and memories of being bound in webbing played through her mind. She quivered before she remembered that this was an expedition. "I need to get my supplies."

She darted off just as Leo was entering the throne room, Lana Fulmine at his side, the pair talking. He glanced at her and gasped, "Where are you going?"

"Need my pouch," she called. "I have to take notes."

Leo shook his head. "At least the rest of you are ready." He nodded to Halia who wore her golden armor. "Lana, you are going to do fine."

"Thanks for your trust." She smiled. "In the real world, I wouldn't trust me to watch over a dog."

"You're not that train wreck," Leo said, smiling at her. "You're my movie starlet."

Then Fauraliiithiliana darted out of earshot.