Lewd Dungeon

Book XVII – Corruption

Prologue – Trade Chat

(Adventurer’s Guild Official Forums, Miami Branch)

SunnyBunz, MightyMouse, ImAPally, DontYouWantMe, AsaAkiraIsBae, BestGirl, LatinHeat, Salty, Backpage, Craig34, l33tpally, Anonymous3, Anonymous4, RedFox, Kimiko, DonnyJuan, Crusader, BadCompany, HurricaneGal, Ambassador, Scholar, Righteous, Id10t, Satyr, DarkEnchanter, RangerMiguel, ScoopGirl, VenusFlyTramp, MagicMike, TsundereHealer, Max, LightningLegacy, SwiftTaylor, Domino, Bacchus, Aegis, Temptation, and Lord_Kickass are in the chat.

Bacchus: Man, I never thought I’d ask for the Demon back as the main boss of the Black Temple.

Scholar: Wait, I hadn’t heard of any changes to the Temple. If the Demon is no longer the boss, then that could mean that the Dungeon has expanded, again. Anyone know what the new floors are like?

Craig34: Wait, when did this happen? I was on a delve that finished up just two days ago, and the Demon was still sitting there, smug as can be, like he always is.

Bacchus: Don’t know when it happened, but has to be in the past couple days. The new bosses told us we were the second group to see them.

Scholar: So, they would have gone into effect just before the team from the University of Florida went in. Damn, I thought they had been gone a little too long.

Id10t: What were a bunch of Gators doing in the dungeon? Trying to get Earl as their new mascot before football season?

Scholar: Hah. No, they were in the new Systems Studies major, and were set to do field work as part of a Dungeonology course. The class split up dungeons in the state, and they drew our Dungeon.

HurricaneGal: A bunch of newbie adventurers going into that place? Did they piss off a major booster or something?

Salty: Hate to say it, but unless they’re more skilled than most, they’re probably dead, or worse.

Scholar: Well, the entrants in the program all had to be level 15 to start, and engaged in leveling exercises that got them to at least level 25 before they were allowed to partake in the dungeon field work. So, not helpless. And they were told to be sure to sign the Dungeon Contract, which offers at least a little protection. At any rate, they are definitely alive, because all entrants in the Dungeonology course had to get life-stones, which would let people know if they died.

Bacchus: OK, so they aren’t dead, but if they managed to get to and through the Black Temple, then the Demon has probably been playing with them. Probably got one of them to accept one of those cursed items that force you to reach the end of the dungeon to remove it.

Salty: I’ve heard about those. But they’re rare, aren’t they? I’ve only heard a couple stories about people getting them.

RangerMiguel: Looks like it is roughly one in one hundred runs, someone gets one of the cursed items, and their party either has to go to the end, or they suffer the consequences. Of course, that is just the most liberal estimate, assuming that all groups which fail to return entirely were forced into a hopeless situation by the curse, and were wiped out. The truth is that the number is probably significantly lower than that.

Temptation: Of course, it is. I try and limit it to one in every two or three hundred runs. And even then, most people don’t take the bait.

Bacchus: Really, that few?

Temptation: Well, not counting the people who get stuck, and make a deal to get out of it. And once you’ve made one deal, a second doesn’t sound so bad, and so on.

Crusader: Monster.

Temptation: Oh, stop flirting. If you want more fun, all you have to do is come and visit. Same for your boy-toys. The dryad really would like to have some more fun with your rogue. She’s been learning new tricks.

Max: Thanks, but no thanks.

Crusader: Foul creature! I hope the gods smite you for your arrogance!

Temptation: Well, maybe you could get those servants of your precious Pofmis that entered the dungeon recently to do something. Of course, they haven’t exactly been having the best time so far.

DonnyJuan: Oh, you mean those three hotties with the blue hair that tried to drag the poor beermaker in there? Fuck, I was hoping that I could get a piece of that ass on the rogue, but they ran inside the dungeon before I could offer my services.

Crusader: You mean they went in the dungeon before they had too many perverts sign up to rape them repeatedly.

DonnyJuan: It isn’t rape if it is contractually obligated, and both sides signed the contract of their free will.

Crusader: Ugh, I can’t begin to tell you how wrong you are.

Temptation: While it is always amusing to see the little zealot burn in impotent rage, I’ll simply say that the poor girls are not having a good time in the dungeon. Seems they haven’t even cleared the second floor, yet, and they’ve all been well and properly fucked a number of times.

Kimiko: Still on the second floor? Doesn’t speak well for them in the Black Temple.

Scholar: Going back to that, what is the new boss like?

Bacchus: A pair of succubi and their pet hellhound. Plus any bonus demons you got for not completing the challenges in the temple.

Salty: Doesn’t sound like that nasty a fight. Certainly not worse than the Demon and his minions.

Bacchus: One of the succubi is a rogue, but the other is a priestess of Kuronoth, by an altar to Kuronoth, in ground consecrated to Kuronoth.

TsundereHealer: Fuck.

Salty: What? What does that mean?

TsundereHealer: It means that her power is at least double or triple what it normally is, on top of any bonuses she gets for being a boss.

Salty: Well, fuck.

Bacchus: Which is the second way to get through the floor, if you aren’t fighting.

Scholar: What?

Bacchus: Yeah, you can get through without attacking, which is not a bad deal on the face of it if you’re off balance and out of sorts from the rest of the temple and need a rest, but to do that you need to fuck the other side, and satisfy them.

DonnyJuan: Fucking sex demons? That doesn’t sound so bad.

Bacchus: All of them. Including their dog. And any demons that were added for you skipping challenges.

DonnyJuan: Well, fuck.

Chapter 161 – Escape

The Dungeon was busy, as it always was. Indeed, it had grown to the point where few groups could clear it all in a day. Traps and terrain increased the time it took to get through the dungeon, beyond the time to fight and recover from the various encounters. If it weren’t for the fact that the dungeon was able to have ‘instances’ up, allowing for more parties to be inside at the same time, it would have been troubling trying to space groups out so that they didn’t interfere with each other. As it was, the Adventurer’s Guild recorded an average of twenty-five dives per day.

Those twenty-five dives were not all equal, of course. Only six out of ten groups claimed that they were trying to clear the dungeon anymore, and that number dropped each time a new floor was added. People had learned, either from the Guild or from hard-fought personal experience, that the dungeon, while it reportedly had the lowest number of average deaths in the state, was not to be trifled with. Because of this, more and more people were starting to ‘farm’ the early levels of the dungeon, with the main cutoffs being after the second-floor swamp (before hitting Goblin Town), the Lizardfolk Swamp (before hitting the Water Temple), and the Rest Floor (before hitting the Undead Floor). Those ‘checkpoints’ as people had started calling them, were just before difficulty spikes in the dungeon, and anyone who passed through the Undead Floor was going to try and progress through the Black Temple, which was, by all accounts, easier to clear than the Fallen Ranger’s Mansion.

The Guild asked (but didn’t require) groups to check in before they entered the dungeon, and again when they left, so that they knew how many groups were delving. Only the groups that had, for one reason or another, been barred from the guild (such as the group with that man who had tried to enslave the local representative of the guild using a collar he’d won in the Dungeon) typically entered the Dungeon without checking in. The reason was simple. While the Guild couldn’t help people in the dungeon itself, a sudden spike in groups not returning would signal that something had changed. That information was potentially life-saving for those who came after, so everyone joined in, as that was the only way to find out if prior groups were missing.

The established ‘meta’, as people were calling it, was for groups to enter the dungeon every half hour, starting at eight in the morning, and continuing until the last group was done with the day. This wasn’t a formal thing, of course, but the common courtesy that groups had worked out between themselves over time. The reasoning behind it was much like the check-in system. If people all rushed in at once, anything that happened to one group would probably happen to them all, without anyone knowing better. And there was the little fact that no one knew if all the day’s groups rushing at once would ‘overwork’ the dungeon. No one wanted to know what the Demon would do if he felt he was being overworked!

So, when the doors of the Dungeon’s entrance hall opened a little after noon, there were plenty of people around Swamptown’s central square to see. Six people and a cat emerged from the dungeon, all of them wearing gear that was clearly in serious need of repair. Oddly enough, the women and cat all wore matching black leather collars, each sporting a brass ring at the front. There was nothing remarkable about the collars themselves, except for the fact that there was no visible latch to release them.

Most of the time, people leaving the dungeon were treated to a few nods, or other signs of respect. After all, anyone who entered the dungeon risked death and psychological torment, especially if they caught the Demon’s eye, or somehow earned his ire. You could usually tell when a group was composed of ‘clearers’ instead of ‘farmers’, because they all had the same harrowed look on their faces when they left. Which is part of why the farmers were the only ones who entered the dungeon daily, while the clearers typically entered once, maybe twice, per week, with each of their delves taking several days to complete. People could see immediately that these were clearers.

What made their reception different from the others who ventured into the dungeon and returned was the rogue leading the party. The only male in the group, he wore the symbol of the Demon. That, combined with the collars around the women’s necks, and the way they gathered around him, made it instantly clear that something had happened to them in the dungeon. But it wasn’t until merchants began recognizing the group as being the college students from the University of Florida that the reaction turned from one of pity for the females to something else.

So, as the group made their way into the Adventurer’s Guild building, representatives from the other parties that were planning on diving that afternoon followed them, to hear what this group had to say about the dungeon. If the stories from the forums were true, then they would be some of the first ones to set foot on a new floor, with new threats and dangers. For any clearers, this was important, potentially life-saving, information.

Bethany Walsh, the local officer in charge of the Adventurer’s Guild, smiled professionally as she watched the group come in. “Welcome back. I see y’all made it out of the dungeon all right. If you need help getting your gear repaired, the Guild has a list of reputable people who can get it done. And if you need cleansing, or just some counseling, there’s members of several faiths at the multifaith center that will be glad to listen to any… issues you might have. With that out of the way, how was your first time in the Dungeon?”

As she spoke, she took a moment to use her Analyze skill on the college kids. They had clearly been through a lot in the dungeon, and it would be good to see how they had grown. What she found was startling, to say the least.

Alice Brown

Human Female

Level 40 Priestess of Knowledge / Archivist

Titles: Genius, Slave

Charles Knight

Human Male

Level 40 Rogue / Alchemist

Titles: Corruptor, Devoted

Lacey Evans

Human Female

Level 40 Paladin of Kuronoth / Blacksmith

Titles: Defender, Slave

Inga Ekdahl

Human Female

Level 40 Fighter / Miner

Titles: Vanguard, Slave

Diana Harris

Human Female

Level 40 Wizard / Enchanter

Titles: Arcane Savant, Slave

Soledad Garrido

Dark Elf Female

Level 40 Ranger / Herbalist

Titles: Daylight Adapted, Slave

Bagheera

Panther Female

Level 40 Animal Companion

Titles: Bound Companion

They had all gained five levels since she last saw them! That was impressive in its own right, since it was common knowledge that the higher in levels you got, the harder it became to level. Most of the ‘clearer’ parties managed to get at least a level or two per delve, but it became much harder the closer people got to the next tier. Five levels in a single run, when they were already relatively high level, was quite impressive.

Of course, there were some less-than-impressive elements to their status, as well. All the women had gained the Slave title, and it was clear as crystal who their Master was. The fact that the rogue, who had changed from an almost timid boy into the confident man in front of her, combined with his titles and the holy symbol he wore, convinced her that he had made some kind of bargain with the Demon. If this was another situation like that Randy kid…

The Rogue smiled at her, and said, loud enough for the eavesdroppers to overhear, “We managed to travel deep into the Dungeon, deeper than we intended to go, in fact, because of a couple items with unfortunate effects that required us to seek the final level of the Dungeon. The Dungeon was much like the reports we’d gotten from the Guild, save for some of the bosses and minibosses learning new tricks.”

Bethany raised an eyebrow at that. “New tricks? Care to explain that? It could be important for future delvers.”

Charles nodded. “Well, the first trick we found that wasn’t in the Guild’s guidebook was that someone taught Captain Hentai how to climb trees.” There was a general gasp from the crowd as they recognized the implications of that, and Charles offered a grim nod. “Yeah, we were busy fighting slimes on the ground, keeping an eye on the bushes for the Captain, when all of a sudden the attack comes from above. Not our finest hour, I can assure you.”

He took a breath. “Of course, that doesn’t compare to the absolute failure we had against the twin mages. I don’t know if other people have run into it or not, but the Wizard has a new spell that basically creates a barrier full of that pink mist, but concentrated. You get caught in it, and a single breath is enough to incapacitate you. So, you have to break out somehow, or you’re toast.”

Bethany nodded. “Yes, we’ve heard about these tricks from some of the groups that entered after you did, even thought hey returned before you. This morning, a group returned after defeating the new guardians of the Black Temple, and were told that they were the second group to pass that trial.”

The Priestess, Alice, nodded, speaking up for the first time since they’d left the dungeon. “Yes, we… cleared the Temple, and the boss encounter at the end, with the twin succubi and their pet. We were forced to recover for a while on the new ninth floor. And we encountered a… life-altering surprise there.”

The guild officer looked at the Priestess. “I can imagine. Would this surprise have anything to do with the fact that you are all now slaves of this man, and not free individuals like you were before? I’ll have you know that truthtelling enchantments are on this building, and that it is a crime to enslave people against their will.”

Charles smirked. “Oh, I’m well aware. And yes, it does have something to do with the reason why I now have my party members as my pets. You see, the ninth floor is another jungle floor, only this time the jungle is not of this earth, but rather from some world where the plants grow in shades of blue. The monsters on this floor, even the boss, are all plant creatures.”

“And what has this to do with enslaving these girls?”

“Patience, ma’am. As I was saying, there are a pair of Dungeon Laws in place on the ninth floor. The first strips everyone not following the Lord Kuronoth of their gear and clothing, and holds it in trust until they reach a shrine to retrieve it. The only exception would be slaves, who are unaffected. If someone should be enslaved on the floor, their gear is returned in neat stack at their feet.”

Alice nodded. “Because of this, only one of our group had clothes, much less weapons and armor. We could have tried to make it to one of the shrines, but we knew we were on a floor that no one had seen before, and there could have been all kinds of dangers down there. We decided not to risk things, and gave ourselves to Master willingly. Because of that, our gear was returned, and the cursed item that was forcing us to seek the end of the dungeon was not immediately placed around our paladin’s neck.”

Inga joined in the story at that point, “Once we’d each taken Master’s collar, we only had to find a single shrine, to recover the items that Bagheera had been wearing. As we ventured into the jungle, it became clear that most of the threats in the jungle were either from traps, or immobile plant creatures from some far-off world. So those who are thinking of trying to go deeper into the dungeon than the Temple need not worry too much. As long as you don’t get complacent, you should be able to avoid the dangers well enough until you get to the first shrine, at least.”

Soledad smiled. “As we neared the floor’s exit, it became clear that there were more floors below us, but we didn’t have time to consider that before the new floor boss attacked us. It was this strange plant lizard things with flowers that could numb you, and basically acted like muscle relaxers. That fight was difficult, but made easier due to the fact that plants dislike fire. But after that, we decided not to press our luck, and used escape tokens to return to the surface.

Bethany nodded slowly. The crystal linked to the lie detection spell remained firmly unlit, indicating truth. “You mentioned there were two laws. What was the second?”

Lacey coughed. “The second promoted… submission to other creatures when you were not fully dressed. Not on the level of mind control, or even coercing someone to act one way or the other, but anyone who is naked on that floor will definitely be receptive to what other people have to say.”

Bethany groaned. This was going to cause all kinds of headaches, she could already see it. She decided that she would kick it up the chain, and let Miguel deal with the situation, and perhaps the cops, if they got called. Looking to the assembled crowd, she said, “All right, you’ve heard what they had to say. Clear off, now! We’ll do a more in depth debrief, and have the updates to the guide out as soon as we can.”

Chapter 162 – Recovery

Four figures stepped through the portal into the entry room of the third floor of the dungeon, and promptly collapsed to the ground. All four of the women were tired, hurt, and their clothes started at ‘disheveled’, and got worse from there. Then again, that was par for the course when dealing with the Slime Emperor and his entourage.

The Catkin shuddered, her eyes unfocused as she thought about what had just transpired. “I had heard stories, but I never thought it would be like that.”

Lailah nodded slowly. “Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever, um, experienced tentacles like that before.” She and Lily had fallen afoul of the Slime Emperor during the boss fight, both having to endure the indignity of being raped in all their holes by the slimy tentacles, and unable to resist or fight back, thanks to the paralyzing slime they were coated in. It was not an experience she’d wish on anyone. Well, perhaps a few enemies, but that was beside the point. It was not an experience she would soon forget, as much as she wished it were.

Sabrael groaned, and slowly began stretching her body. “At least you two got the slime. I was caught by the damn seeder bush. And apparently it wasn’t the normal version, either. I don’t suppose any of you have heard of a Demonic Seeder Bush, hmm?”

Lily shook her head. “Not particularly, but it is probably a product of the Breeding Halls. It is a common punishment in the dungeon. He likes using it on new slaves, especially if they are trying to act rebellious. Helps break their will to resist. They end up doing anything he asks, just for the promise not to go back there.”

She sighed. “Even some of the floor bosses have been sent there, if they particularly annoyed the Demon, or failed to make a good showing of themselves in their fights. And it is one of his favorite stings to include in his deals, sending people to the Breeding Halls to be raped for a few hours before letting them go. Some monsters are summoned directly to the Breeding Halls, to try and create new hybrids or variant creatures.”

Sabrael shuddered. “That’s horrible. I can’t imagine what manner of freaks have been born out of a place like that. I mean, there are dungeons that have creatures who will try and breed with delvers, but usually they are the simple types, like the Slime Lords. Disgusting, and deadly, but they just create more of the same creature. I’ve never heard of a dungeon running experiments, attempting to find a way to breed new kinds of monsters before.”

“All three of you can kindly shut up. You all just got hit with one creature.” Their eyes turned to Daphiel, who was looking positively horrid. “I had at least eight of the fungal zombies raping me, all at the same fucking time! You think you’re worn out? Try taking six cocks inside you at the same time, and one in either hand! If I hadn’t gained a new title during the challenge, I’d have been ripped in two! And if my class didn’t give me immunity to infections, I’d have been turned into one of those freaks!”

Sabrael bowed her head, submissively. “Sorry, Sister.” She looked up. “But how did we escape? My thoughts are… blurry, to say the least. And I don’t think any of us were in the best of conditions to defeat the enemy.”

Lailah shook her head. “Hidden clear condition. There was apparently a setting in the boss fight’s conditions where, if every surviving creature on the dungeon’s side has been satisfied sexually, then it counts as a win. From what I could see, Sabrael managed to take down one of the seeder bushes before she was caught, and you managed to take down seven of the twenty fungal zombies before they used numbers to pin you down. After the Slime Emperor was done with us, Lily and I managed to get some distance from him, and ended up killing another five, while avoiding the Emperor’s attacks. When the fifth one died, the monsters stopped attacking, and the portal opened.”

Lily grinned. “And I remembered to loot the chest that appeared on our way out of the room! So, we at least have something to show for our efforts, besides some of us needing to find a safe room within 24 hours so Daphiel can regain her mana, or we get killed horribly.”

With that said, the witch reached into her inventory, and pulled out the four items that had been in the chest. Lailah shook her head in wonder as she looked at the items. “The Demon is certainly free with the treasure on this difficulty. The number of magic items we’ve received, even though we’ve only passed the second floor, is suspiciously high, and they haven’t been weak items, either.”

Sabrael nodded idly, as she began looking over the items, and identifying them. “And yet only one group has ever attempted this mode, because he no longer has to follow the rules he sets for himself. Why risk that, unless you have a quest like ours?”

Dark Invocation, Staff of Truth

Type

Staff

Rank

Artifact

This staff is blessed by Kuronoth, the Demon Lord of Pleasure and Dominion. Made from the heartwood of an ash tree grown in a celestial realm and corrupted by being stained with an unholy mixture that includes the Demon’s seed and the jelly of a Passionslime, this staff is a powerful weapon to anyone who proves worthy of wielding it.

+50 INT, +50 CHA

Arcane spells not from the Illusion or Enchantment schools cost 50% less mana to cast

Invocation of Truth – By praying to Kuronoth, the wielder can invoke a modified Zone of Truth spell. This spell has a radius of 60’, centered on the wielder. Creatures in the zone are unable to knowingly say anything they know to be a lie, though they can speak untruths that they actually believe, or lie through omission. Those in the area are unable to lie in actions, as well as words. All creatures in the zone become completely uninhibited, acting on their heart’s desires.

Corrupted Heart – This staff will strike down any creature that attempts to use it unless they have shed the burdens of purity. Anyone who attempts to wield Dark Invocation without having at least twenty different sexual partners in their lifetime will be struck with a curse reducing them one tier in strength (a creature reduced below Tier 1 is slain outright).

An artifact! On the second floor! Sabrael shook her head as the witch gladly took the staff which was clearly tailored to her particular brand of magic. Besides, she was the only one who could actually use the weapon. Sure, Daphiel had upped her numbers substantially on the last floor, but that still left her at fourteen, and Sabrael knew both she and Lailah were only around five or so.

Shadowfox Tail Plug of the Seeker

Type

Tool

Rank

Super-Rare

This item is based on a toy designed for use by sexually libertine individuals on Earth. However, unlike the typical items it is based off of, this has been crafted from higher quality materials, and enchanted to great effect. The Forbidden Chambers of Exotic Pleasures was the first dungeon to employ these items, though similar items are now appearing in other dungeons. This item’s powers are suppressed while the tail is hidden.

+50 DEX, +50 WIS, +50 CHA

+10% damage from Sneak Attacks, or attacks made from stealth

Stealth is 25% more effective

Dark Rebirth – If the wearer is slain, they are instantly reincarnated as their former race, but with the Demonic and Shadow-Werefox templates. The item must be worn for 23 of the last 24 hours to be effective. When this property is used, its other properties are made permanent, and the item is consumed.

Seeker – While wearing the plug, the Wearer may designate any one creature, object, or place she desires to find. She must know the full name of a creature to designate it as a target. The wearer gains the Seeker quality, automatically knowing the distance and direction to their target, unless something that interferes with divinations blocks the connection. The wearer must bond with the plug by climaxing at least once while wearing the plug to use this effect.

Protected – Once worn, this item cannot be lost, stolen or removed under any conditions except by the wearer. The item cannot be discarded or lost, but may be sold or transferred to a new owner.

Sabrael nodded to herself. This item was clearly designed for Lailah, their rogue. It was an embarrassing item to have to wear, but the powers provided by the item were too great to simply ignore. Lailah clearly agreed, since, despite her blushing to the point where she was red in the face, she slid her pants down far enough to slip the plug in her back door, before pulling them up enough to fasten them, without hiding the tail. The Shadowblade just glared at them all. “I’ll handle the ‘bonding’ later, thank you. Fucking demon probably won’t let it be too long before that happens anyways.”

Dark Bastion of Freedom

Type

Shield

Rank

Super-Rare

There are shields of mighty knights, who guard the helpless, or uphold law and order. And then there are shields like this one, infused with corrupted power to be wielded by those who would break the bonds that bind people to entities greater than themselves. Made from Mithral quenched in the collected fluids of a succubus in the throes of pleasure, this shield is corrupted beyond all measure, but also protects the wearer from enslavement and confinement.

+50 STR, +50 CON

Corrupted Soul – The wielder of this shield finds it 75% harder to resist uses of the Seduction skill. The wielder gains +2% to all stats for each distinct individual she has sexual relations with for 24 hours (max 20%).

Broken Chain – 1/day touch an individual with the shield, and break all bindings, bonds, restraints, and restrictions upon the individual that are recognized by the System. Instant effect. Cannot be used on followers of Kuronoth, Demon Lord of Pleasure.

Total Freedom – The wielder cannot be involuntarily bound, restrained, slowed, paralyzed, enslaved, charmed, or dominated.

This shield clearly was designed for their Divine Excoriator. Daphiel grimaced as she looked over the description. The device on the shield was actually showing a set of broken chains in black and gold upon the silver shield. Gritting her teeth, Daphiel said, “There has to be a trick. I don’t know what the trick is, but why would the Demon, of all people give someone an item that broke all bonds? Even if he excluded his own followers, it doesn’t make sense!”

Submission, Dark-Blessed Tiara of Absorption

Type

Headware

Rank

Super-Rare

This tiara made of polished obsidian and set with onyx stones is a beautiful piece of work in its own right, but it truly shines when used by an arcane spellcaster. Fashioned from a single piece of obsidian by Kuronoth, Demon Lord of Dominion, this item allows one who wears it to hold dominion over magic itself.

+50 INT, +50 WIS

Dark Blessing – All spells with the Dark or Evil descriptors, or which invoke pleasure or control over another cost 50% less mana, and are 20% more effective.

Absorption - Hostile spells and magical effects are 25% less effective against the wearer. Wearer regains 25% of the mana cost of spells and magical effects used against her as MP.

Submission – Wearer’s resistance to Seduction skill and Charm effects reduced by 50%.

Sabrael took the item that was clearly designed for her with some embarrassment. “It is a simple gambit, Daphiel. He’s trying to corrupt us. That’s why every item has something to do with corruption or submission. They are too good for us to ignore, and none of them are quite enough to be against our oaths or allegiances. It is the same as his little deals, which work to make you consider taking larger deals, deals which can break you, either mentally or physically. But the terrible thing is that, even though we know the trap, we can’t afford to not walk into it, and hope we can resist later on.”

Chapter 163 – Change of Ownership

Sheila Darrows was not having second thoughts. She’d had those about six days ago, when the people her company were ‘protecting’ on their way back to the dungeon where their master lived started having an orgy in the middle of their camp. By now, she had lost track of how many times she’d been forced to reconsider this arrangement she’d gotten her company into.

Of course, she had to remember why she had put everyone on this path, to begin with. Her private military company, Jadesins, was still small. They weren’t an ‘army for hire’, they were operators. Well, the corporate-speak she used with potential clients was ‘troubleshooters’. In that they went to places that were less than wholesome, and shot whoever was causing trouble. Great if you were a business executive who wanted something a bit more intimidating than your standard bodyguards to accompany your negotiator when trying to work out mineral rights in central Africa, for instance, or you needed someone to recover property (or persons) from the cartels in Mexico or South America. Bad if you wanted to invade another country. They just weren’t on that level.

All told, the company was only twenty-six people. Four teams of five operators, which she was a part of, four people who maintained their assigned team’s gear, one person who was in charge of maintaining their motor pool, and a business manager, who took care of negotiating the finer points of contracts and making sure everyone got paid their proper wages. A tiny ass company, if she was being blunt, but it was hers, and she wasn’t going to just give up on it because the world had ended.

Naturally, when recruiting, she’d used her military connections to fill out her teams. She’d made sure to bring on women, like her, who had been passed over for SF training because of bullshit policies. Seven of her twenty operators were female, but they’d all earned their spot, working hard to make sure that they were able to compete at the same level physically as their male counterparts. She wasn’t exempt from it, either. She was proud to say that she’d come in eighth out of the group when it came to all around scores. Not too shabby, and she earned the respect of the people under her, if nothing else.

Of course, that was before the Apocalypse, when everything changed. Now, instead of former soldiers and marines, she had four priests, eight rangers, five fighters, two rogues, and a Pyromancer on her teams. And her support crews all became artificers, magitech engineers, and the like. Even Phil, the office manager, had become an Overseer.

But there were all kinds of problems in their setup. They were heavy on attack power, sure, but lacking in magic. And their priests were all… underpowered, since apparently faith really mattered to the class, and they had picked it more for ‘healing magic’ than any other reason. And none of them were particularly church-going.

Which is why, when she heard about a group from Miami that was spreading the ‘good news’ of their new god, a god that was on the rise and based in a dungeon, she was intrigued. When she found out that this god wasn’t the kind to start getting upset if a few people ended up shot for business reasons, she was interested. When she did her research, and clued in on the fact that this ‘god’ was a former human who clearly had an inside track on how this System worked and was using it to his benefit, well, that had her attention. If she could link her company to someone like that, and get him as a backer, then they’d be set for life! Plus, dungeons could basically make anything they would need, if they gave it a template first, which made her supply guys practically cream themselves at the thought of it.

But she would be lying if she wasn’t rethinking things now. It turned out that this god was not really all that ‘progressive’. More like, he was big on ideas of domination and submission. And he really liked it when women, especially strong women like herself, were forced to submit to him, or his followers. She’d already had eyes on the group when they recruited that druid, and saw how they’d ‘tamed’ her, and convinced her to willingly become a slave.

Slaves. That was another thing that didn’t sit quite right with her. She was an American, after all, and slavery was a thing out of the past. But, apparently, it wasn’t, not any more. As long as someone ‘willingly’ became a slave, the law wouldn’t do anything about it, and the System didn’t give a rat’s ass either way.

If only they didn’t look so damn happy on their knees, serving their Masters!

“Ma’am, we’ve reached the clearing that Father Jacobs indicated.”

That simple message from Team 3 brought her out of her musing. The priest had said his god had contacted him while they were on the boats, and given their team a side job on the way into Swamptown, where the dungeon was located. Said it was something important, and that his god wanted them to see what was going to go down. She took a breath, and touched the subvocal microphone strapped to her throat.

“Understood. Status?”

“No sign of hostiles. However, there’s something… off about the clearing. Maxwell is saying that there’s an illusion in place, cloaking something. He didn’t want to try and remove it without checking with the VIPs.”

Good call. Maxwell was her Pyromancer, and his method of dispelling illusions could sometimes leave things in ashes, if things went badly. Best not to risk it.

“Negative. Leave that to the VIPs to deal with. Watch the perimeter. We’re coming up.”

“Understood.”

Turning to Father Jacobs, who was walking not far away, she said, “Father, your clearing is up ahead. No hostiles, but Team 3 says something is cloaked in there.”

The priest smiled, and nodded. “Excellent. According to the information I was given, that cloak is really just a bit of mental trickery. A low-level mental illusion, but surprisingly effective, if you’re not expecting it. Essentially, it simply tells onlookers to just overlook things, and forget they ever saw it. Simple, and efficient.”

That statement, and other things that the group had mentioned, were why she’d decided to bring her company to South Florida, instead of remaining in the panhandle. He knew things that weren’t commonly known about the System and magic and all that, and that knowledge had to come from his god. Knowledge was power, now more than ever. She didn’t want to be powerless in this new world.

Soon, they made it to the clearing. Sheila frowned as she looked at the clearing. Even knowing that there was something there, she couldn’t quite see it. All she got was an idea that there was something there. The priest, Jacobs, sounded utterly unconcerned as he put his hand on his slave girl’s ass, and said, “Carla, my dear, would you be so kind as to dispel this ward, so we might begin?”

The enslaved ice sorceress shivered blissfully at her Master’s touch, and nodded, “Of course, Master.” The next thing Sheila knew, the woman was speaking some kind of incantation, and then the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. There was a… shattering, more felt than heard, as the ward crumbled, and suddenly the ward fell away.

In its place was a spaceship. An honest-to-god spaceship! Sheila felt her mouth drop open, and had to force it shut, but she knew she wasn’t the only one. Sure, they’d seen the pictures from the Ambassadors who had shown up, and the craft in orbit, but this was something completely different! This was real, and it was in front of her!

And what a ship it was! Silver-blue in color, it looked to be about the length of a Gulfstream, but the body was two, maybe three times the width. It possessed graceful, forward-arcing wings that looked like… ah, like that logo for the rebels in Star Wars! Her military mind immediately noticed the weapons. There were obvious guns on the ‘wings’, and what looked like hard points, perhaps for modular systems, like modern fighters had? You could switch out an extra fuel tank for different missile configurations, and the like. Probably something like that? There was another big gun in the nose of the ship, and four turrets, one on each side of the ship, so that, no matter the direction, they could always have guns on a target. Sheila was fairly certain she was in love.

Father Jacobs reached into his inventory space, and pulled out a bucket, and a paintbrush. Stepping forward, he walked to the bow of the ship. With his paintbrush, he marked the bow of the ship with some kind of symbol. In blood. Sheila decided that she didn’t want to know where he’d gotten a whole bucket of blood from. She was a shooter, but she decided that she would just assume it was pigs’ blood. Easier on the stomach that way.

The priest circled the ship, repeating the mark on each side of the craft, and on both wings. Out of morbid curiosity, Sheila looked at his bucket, and realized that the level of macabre paint had not decreased in the slightest. Brad, one of the priest’s companions, simply chuckled. “A gift from the Lord. It is enchanted to never run dry, which is why the padre keeps it in his inventory. Would get messy just carrying it around, you know?”

Sheila nodded slowly. That was… disturbing, but it made sense, from what she knew of rituals in the System. You had to make symbols with blood all the time, but it was rare that it specified that it was fresh blood. So that would be a useful tool for any fledgling religion. Probably some kind of modification of the ‘endless canteen’ she’d heard someone talking about on the Internet.

The priest finished his work, and called to the rest of his party. They paired off into groups, Master and slave together, and arranged themselves each at one point of a triangle surrounding the ship. Each of the slaves got to their knees, and reverently opened their Master’s fly. Then, as one, each took their Master’s cock into her mouth, and began pleasuring her Master. At the same time, the Masters began to chant, calling out to their ‘Lord Kuronoth’, and invoking his power. And Sheila could feel the power growing in the air. Their chanting grew to a crescendo as their slaves quickened their pace. Finally, as one, they came, and as their slaves swallowed blissfully, the power was unleashed.

There was a pulse of magic, a wave of black and crimson that washed over the ship, but stopped in a perfect circle, just inside where the three pairs were stationed. Inside the circle, the ground was stained the color of blood. But the ship? The symbols painted on its hull glowed the color of blood, and were consumed. From there, silver-blue gave way to deepest black. Near the bow, two blood red eyes appeared, as though painted there, and a jaw with white teeth against a red maw appeared around the main gun. It reminded her of the old pictures of the Flying Tigers, with their P-40Bs. But this was more than a single-seat propeller-driven fighter! This was so much more! If Sheila had been in love with the craft before, she was positively head over heels now!

She was simply staring at the transformation that had come over the ship, when she felt the female rogue’s hand upon her shoulder. She looked over at the woman, and noticed that the rogue had a sticky white fluid trailing from her lips. The rogue smiled, unconcerned, and said, “I take it you like it?”

Sheila could only nod. “Like it? Hell, at this point I’d have its babies! How did your god get this? And what happened to it?”

The rogue leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Oh, the ship belongs to some aliens that wished to defy the Lord. He decided that they soon wouldn’t need it any more, and asked us to claim it, in His name. Now, it is a vessel touched by His power, and it is like a shrine to Him is aboard. Where it goes, His will goes. And it cannot be taken from Him unless some god’s followers attempt to consecrate it in another’s name.”

She paused, and then said, “With that in mind, why don’t we head into the Dungeon, so you can meet the Lord. I’m sure you have many questions you’d like to ask, no?”

Sheila could only nod in response.

Chapter 164 – Goblin Guns

“GET DOWN!”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Hearing Lailah’s warning, Sabrael threw herself to the ground. That proved wise, as the next instant bullets ripped through the area that she had been standing in. Turning to look where the bullets came from, she saw that a hole had opened in the wall. Two goblins were there, standing by a crude, multibarreled gun of some kind. One sighted the weapon and turned a crank, which turned the barrels and fired them. The other goblin handled a belt of ammunition, feeding the gun in an endless supply of ammunition.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Sabrael shuddered as she threw up a magic shield, and tried to find cover. Five, seven, fifteen bullets hit her shield, causing it to shatter. The sixteenth bullet caught her in the leg, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell behind a stone slab that rose from the ground close to the entrance of the room. Oh, goddess, that hurt! She looked down, and was shocked to see the telltale signs of acid eating at her wound.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Lily helped her to sit against the stone, keeping low so as not to provide a target for the gunners. Shi was clearly less than pleased with the situation. “What in the hell? Where did those freaks get a fucking Gatling gun?”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Sabrael took a deep breath, to try and focus. It was better than screaming, like she wished to do. “I-I don’t know what this ‘Gatling gun’ is, but I do know that the bullets are alchemical. I think I saw at least four types. Acid, Fire, Ice, Lightning. And one that was either ‘normal’ ammunition, or some kind of shieldbreaker.” She took another breath. “What can you tell me of this Gatling gun?”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Lily shook hir head. “Not much. And what I know probably won’t be all that useful. They were military weapons, I know that much, used by armies in the open field to cut down charging enemies. They’re over two hundred years old, I know that much. Well, the original design, at least. The Demon probably got the plans off the internet, and gave them to the Goblins, to let them design their own weapon.”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Sabrael grunted. “Great. This room is set up as a perfect killing field for them. Can you give me anything about the weapon’s weaknesses?”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

“Well, before the Apocalypse, they were supposed to be something you could only fire for a short time, because you either ran out of ammunition, or the barrels heated to the point where they needed to be cooled down. Like, I saw on TV where they fired one until the barrels were glowing red hot! But with the fucking System, they probably don’t have to worry as much about that.”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

“SABRAEL! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?”

Sabrael heard Lailah’s voice shouting from across the room, above the sound of the gun’s chattering. She took a breath, and then yelled back, “I’M HIT, BUT NOT BAD! LILY IS HERE WITH ME, TOO! WHAT ABOUT YOU AND DAPHIEL?”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

“SHE’S HIT TOO, AND PINNED DOWN FURTHER TOWARDS THE FRONT! CAN YOU DISTRACT THEM FOR ME? I JUST NEED FIVE SECONDS, TO GET INTO POSITION!”

Movement next to her distracted her from her reply. Lily had pulled a small plastic item with what looked like a small brush, and a cake of red material in the bottom, and a mirror on the top. Some kind of cosmetics? Such an interesting design. It had to be a local method.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Lily was not checking hir makeup, however. Instead, shi used the mirror to carefully look around the side of the stone slab, allowing hir to get a view of the room without exposing hirself to fire. The witch sighed. “I see your sisters. Daphiel is hurt, pretty bad from the looks of it, but looks like she’s healed herself enough to stabilize. She’s kneeling behind a column. Lailah managed to get to the far wall. She’s in a gap the goblins can’t get to without coming all the way into the room.”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Sabrael shook her head. “I can’t target my spells without looking, and I doubt I could take more than a few shots before my barrier faded. Not enough for the five seconds she needs. Do you have anything we can use?”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Lily nodded, and reached into hir inventory. “My owner before I became part of the dungeon had me making alchemical items to help his hunting, when he wasn’t using me as a sex toy. I still have a few of them. Next time we get to a safe room, I can try and whip up more items, if we get some materials to work with. But for now, this should help.”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Shi pulled a device out of hir bag. It was a metal tube the length of hir arm and two fingers wide with paper secured over one end, and what looked like a sparkstone on the end. It didn’t look like much, but Sabrael had long since learned to not judge alchemical inventions by their looks. Wondering what it was, she Identified it.

Prototype Alchemical Blast Launcher

Type

Tool

Rank

Common

A prototype for a device using alchemy to launch projectiles which will unleash fiery explosions upon contact. Still unfinished, with testing required. Single use item. Properties unknown.

Sabrael nodded slowly. All alchemists toyed with explosions at some point. Actually, explosions were so common that pretty much any alchemist trying something new would be able to expect at least one or two explosions while perfecting a new item, even if the item wasn’t supposed to explode! (It was the ones that were designed to explode and didn’t you REALLY had to look out for.) Unfortunately, this also meant that the explosions were not exactly predictable. More than one alchemist had died because something that was supposed to cause an explosion ‘over there’ had instead decided to explode in their hands.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

But, right now, it was their best bet for getting out of this killing field. She looked over to the witch, and said, “All right. What do you need?”

The witch grinned. “I’ve got this. But, you know, maybe get ready with that shield of yours if it decides to explode on us. I was planning on testing this remotely, but now we’ll have to do it under live fire.”

With that said, Lily reached over hir head, placing the prototype launcher on the slab, the ‘business’ end pointing in the general direction of the gunners. Holding hir mirror in the other hand, shi worked on hir aim. Sabrael heard hir muttering to hirself. “I just hope the blast isn’t too big. Hate to kill a friend after I just got free.”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Sabrael took a breath, and yelled to Lailah, “COVER!” She couldn’t see Lailah, of course, but if she knew her sister, she was creeping as close as she could get to the goblins without their noticing her, so she had less ground to cover once the distraction happened. While she doubtless could withstand whatever a first-tier alchemist could produce, there wasn’t any reason to push their luck. Not right now.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Lily put away the mirror, and then struck the sparkstone with the hilt of a small dagger she pulled from hir boot, before quickly yanking it away. Sparks began flying from the end of the tube shi was holding, which soon became a small jet of flame which quickly died away. Sabrael could hear something flying away from them, no doubt propelled by the flames.

Rat-a-tat-KABOOOOM!

The fury of the explosion was completely unexpected. Sabrael had been expecting a flare, perhaps a small fireball. There was simply a limit to what you could actually keep in such a small space. But this explosion? From the sound and heat, which she could feel even from this far away, it was the equal of a fireball spell cast by a fire mage in the mid-thirties of the first tier, perhaps even the mid-forties!

“A-ALL CLEAR!”

Lailah sounded shocked as well as she announced the all clear, and as Sabrael rose to one knee on her uninjured leg, she could see why. The alcove where the goblins were stationed was charred and blackened. The gun was a pile of scrap metal. And the goblins? Well, they decorated what was left of the alcove. To her horror, Sabrael noted that the dungeon stone around the alcove looked like it was partially melted! There were patches where the stones were literally on fire! Dungeon walls and the like were insanely difficult to damage, thanks to the dungeon’s magic constantly running through them and reinforcing them!

She turned to look over at Lily, eyes wide, and the sight she saw caused her blood to freeze. Standing there, a manic grin on hir face, Lily was giggling. Giggling. And then the laughter began. Alchemist’s Madness, they called it. She’d heard about it, read about it, but never seen it up close before.

“W-what did you do? What was that explosion?”

Lily looked down at her, a blissful expression on her face. “I was a chemist before the Apocalypse, you know. The only good thing about the whole affair was when someone discovered that you could use stasis magic to keep something stable. So many new possibilities were opened up, now that you could handle materials without them blowing up just from something silly like being above minus one-eighty Celsius.”

Shi sighed wistfully, and sat on the stone slab. “Anyways, before I was captured, I was conducting some experiments, and I happened to have some of my materials in my inventory. I wasn’t allowed by the capture ball’s magic to go against orders, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t create a prototype, just in case, and ‘forget’ to tell them about it.”

Sabrael shook her head as she forced herself up and then collapsed onto the stone next to the witch. She shared a helpless look with Lailah and Daphiel, who were limping up to them, before turning back to the witch. “What did you use in that device? To create such a large explosion with so little material… it should be beyond the limits of alchemy!”

Lily laughed, the Alchemist’s Madness still clearly affecting her. “Oh, that’s simple enough. I just used ten grams of dioxygen difluoride, and ten grams of hydrogen sulfide. The rest was all just shielding to keep the stasis chamber from reacting to the propellant. Once the stasis chamber hits something, it breaks, and the stasis magic is removed, and BOOM! It worked even better than I was hoping! Maybe if I could have added in the enhancer stone powder?”

“Right, that’s enough of that.”

All four women gasped at that deep voice, and turned to face the Demon of the Dungeon, who, for once, was not wearing his patented smug grin. Daphiel grit her teeth as she tried to bring her shield up, despite her wounds. Sabrael cursed to herself. The Demon didn’t play by his rules in this version of his dungeon, but to come in front of them now? Surely, he didn’t think they were going to break and take one of his deals?

The Demon did not even look at the three sisters, and instead turned all his attention upon Lily, who was doing her best not to look for the exits. “Well, you certainly had some surprises left, didn’t you Lily? Oh, don’t worry, I’m not here to fight. I’m actually quite pleased you showed off your little device. So pleased, in fact, that I’m going to offer you a deal. I’d even go so far as to say it is a fair—well, mostly fair—deal.”

“W-what do you want?”

The Demon smiled. “Oh, it is quite simple, really. I want three things. First, I want Knowledge. Everything you know about that device you made. Its making, the components, how you prepared it, all of that. Everything my alchemists would need to know to make, iterate, and perfect the design, and create new designs from it.”

“Second, I want System-backed exclusivity rights for the teaching, production, and sale of the items. You would be able to produce weapons for personal use, of course. But teaching anyone your process, or commercial sales of perfected items, would have to be done through me.”

“And finally, I want you to stop using those things in my dungeon!”

Chapter 165 – Negotiation

Lailah held her breath. The Demon of the Dungeon, who always came and took from people when they were at their weakest, offering a pittance in return, had actually come to them, instead? And there was something they had, that he wanted! This was unheard of, as far as she knew. Both the fledgling Adventurer’s Guild and their fellow believer, Lea, had agreed on that point.

Stepping forward, she said, “That is a lot you are asking for, Demon. But you haven’t said anything about what you are offering. With the way this ‘nightmare mode’ is rigged against us, it would be beyond foolish for us to give up an advantage, no matter how small.”

The Demon turned to look at her, appraisingly, for a moment, before turning to look back at Lily. “There is much I can offer you. But the exact nature of the deal depends on you. And on how much you want these people who you’ve just met doing your negotiations for you, knowing that their designs may not be entirely in line with your own. After all, have you asked them why they came to my dungeon, and challenged it on the highest difficulty, not signing my contract?”

Lily frowned, and looked at Daphiel, “Why did you come here?”

Daphiel drew herself up proudly, and said, “I am sorry we did not mention it earlier, but it is no great secret. We are servants of Pofmis, the Chainbreaker, one of the primary gods upon the Atlantean world of Bluemountain. We are bounty hunters for the church. A heretic who turned from the Chainbreaker’s light and bound herself to a dungeon was transported away from Bluemountain before she could be brought to judgement for her sins. Through some unknown art, she appeared in this dungeon, according to the scryers. So, we have come to retrieve the heretic, or at least her soul, so that she might finally be purged of her sins and gain the Chainbreaker’s peace.”

The Demon laughed. He actually laughed at Daphiel’s tale! Something about that set Lailah on edge. Did he know something they did not?

“You see, Lily? That is the problem you get to when dealing with zealots who never question what they are told. I won’t deny that zealous followers are quite useful, but they don’t stop to actually think, or find out about the ‘why’ of a situation. For instance, I doubt these ladies ever bothered to ask why a former Paladin of Pofmis might find herself bound to a dungeon. They simply heard that it was so, and skipped straight to heresy.”

Sabrael eyed the Demon. “How would you know? You were not even a part of the System when it happened!”

The Demon turned his gaze upon her. “Because, unlike you, I have actually gone and done a bit of research on the situation, including speaking to those who were there at the time, such as the ‘heretic’, herself. Her name is Tels Xuan, if you didn’t know, and I have every reason to believe her recounting of her ‘fall’, in no small part because, as a creature bound to the Forbidden Chambers of Exotic Pleasures, she is utterly incapable of lying to me.”

Sabrael nodded slowly. “It is known that dungeons enforce obedience on those who are bound to them. As the Dungeon Master of the dungeon, you would be able to command the truth from her. But why would the circumstances of her betrayal matter? She fell, and betrayed Pofmis. This is why the bounty was placed on her, so she could be brought to judgement.”

The Demon nodded, and looked over to Lily. “And there you have it. Just like the oh so righteous ones that you faced in your challenge room, they don’t care about the circumstances of the woman they’re hunting. They simply have a mission, and ‘god wills it’, so off they go. They don’t care that her reason for being bound mirrors your own. They simply want to strip her soul from her body, and deliver it to a temple so she can spend an eternity or two in torment for something she had no more control over than you did.”

Lailah turned, and looked at their newfound companion. The witch looked as though shi’d bitten into something truly unpleasant. Lily’s eyes met Daphiel’s, for a moment, and the Divine Excoriator at least had the grace to look uncomfortable at the parallels the Demon had drawn. Lailah found her voice again.

“Lily, the Demon wants to treat with you. Much as it pains me to say it, I agree with the Demon on this point. You should negotiate for what is best for your situation. We are bound by our duties and our background, and what we would want might not be what is the best situation for you. I will, however, offer to read through the contract before you sign it, to point out any traps that might be written in, if I see them.”

Lily nodded to her, and then looked back at the Demon. “I agree, in principle, to the deal you’re making, though I have no authority or license over people who develop the idea concurrently, or through other means.” The Demon nodded, in agreement, so shi continued, “There are several things I would like in exchange for the knowledge and recipes you seek.”

“First, I want royalties on the income you make from this. Not just sales of completed items, but training charges and the like. Since I won’t be able to sell directly, I think that is only fair.”

“Second, I want the mechanical design, the compound formula, and the completed item covered separately, so that use of either the stasis capsule or the explosive compound in other items would be covered, even if it isn’t the completed grenade. The same design could be used for other compounds that are normally too unstable to keep contained for long, after all. Technically, it could probably even be used to hold antimatter.”

The Demon hissed in displeasure; his eyes widening in fear at the mere mention of that word. “Do not even THINK about playing around with the idea of trying to store antimatter anywhere in my dungeon! In fact, go off-world if you want to do those kinds of experiments! I’m sure you can find plenty of real estate on the moon where you can do that shit.”

Lailah blinked. Twice now, the Demon that had been the terror of so many, the one who ruined lives wholesale, was adamant about a substance not being used nearby. But unlike with the ‘dioxygen diflouride’, which the Demon merely seemed annoyed by, thanks to the damage to the dungeon, this material actually frightened him, and visibly so! On the one hand, anything that frightened an enemy of Pofmis was good, obviously. But… something that frightened a Dungeon Master was almost certainly bad, right?

Sabrael, frowning, decided to ask the pertinent question. “Uh, just what is this ‘antimatter’?”

The Demon looked over to her, and said, “The System would call it ‘inverse materia’.”

Sabrael’s face went deathly pale, the likes of which Lailah had only seen once, when they’d been investigating a town and found out that the Sdattha Plague had infected the area, and they had all been exposed. The High Magus must have understood her questioning gaze, because she said, “Inverse Materia is the antithesis of all physicality. If it so much as touches anything in existence, it sets off an explosion. It is a Category Twelve crime to produce, contain, or transport it within the gravity well of a populated world anywhere in the Atlantean Empire.”

That caused Daphiel to curse under her breath, before she turned to look at Lily. “Category Twelve crimes are punishable by summary execution without trial, the destruction of all materials related in the incident, and the elimination or mental wiping of all witnesses to the crime or its aftermath, including the reporting forces themselves, save by express commandment by an official that is at least on the level of a planetary governor, or head of a planetary council. On Bluemountain, that would mean only Queen Threeshield would be able to issue a stay of execution, for those whose only crime was living too close to the explosion.”

Lily huffed, and said, “Fine, I won’t play around with the ideas for an Antimatter Grenade. Anyway, for my third condition, I want reparations for all the shit I’ve had to endure in this dungeon. All the fights and the death and the times in the breeding halls.”

“Finally, I want you to turn me back into a normal human female!”

The Demon chuckled. “Well, that last one is right out. The changes are too deep-seated in you by now. Only way to change you back would be to kill you, use a reincarnate spell on you, and then use an item to forcibly change your body before the changes to your new form became set. And I guarantee that it would be painful as hell, physically and mentally.”

Lailah frowned. The Demon, giving out advice that was helpful, instead of just letting someone walk into a trap? Noticing her expression, the Demon smirked at her. “I did say that I was going to try and be fair in this negotiation, you know. And before you ask why, the answer is simple. When you ladies go and tell people about this (and I have no doubt you will), people will be more eager to bring me things I want, or can use, in order to arrange more palatable deals for themselves than what they might otherwise get. Consider it an investment.”

Turning back to Lily, he said, “I am willing to offer six percent royalties on the completed device, and four percent on the capsule design and mixture. For reparations, I will offer ten thousand gold pieces, a piece of magical gear of at least Super Rare quality, and a single-use Skill Book.”

Lily frowned, obviously upset that shi couldn’t be turned back into the human woman shi was before the System changed hir. “Four percent on the finished device, six percent on the capsule and formula. Thirty-thousand gold, two pieces of gear, one at least Artifact level, and a Skill Book of my choosing. And one boon to be determined later.”

The Demon sized hir up for a moment, and then said, “Five percent, across the board. Thirty-thousand gold, ten thousand gold worth of alchemical ingredients found in the Dungeon, as valued by the System. One piece of gear of Artifact level, with a second Artifact if you join the Church of Kuronoth and pledge to earnestly convert your party, and a Skill Book of my choosing. And I will give you a token that will allow you and your party to teleport out of the dungeon, despite the restrictions of this difficulty level, when in a designated safe zone or after defeating a floor boss. Finally, I will open a portal that will deposit you all at the start of the next floor, allowing you to skip the rest of Goblin Town.”

Lily considered for a moment, before looking over to Lailah. The Shadowblade shook her head. “I don’t see anything wrong with agreeing in principle, until you can read the finished contract.”

The Demon smiled as he produced a rolled piece of parchment with a wave of his hand. “For an alien used to sealing bargains with the System, you’ve certainly adapted to Earth’s contract law easily enough. Have you considered leaving Pofmis, and working for someone else? You could make quite a bit of gold working as a liaison between Earth companies and interstellar consumers, you know.”

Lailah forced herself to bite back the comment that came to her mind, and could see Daphiel being shushed by Sabrael out of the corner of her eye. After Lily read through the contract, Lailah looked it over. The wording was technical, as most contracts involving inventions were, but she could read it easily enough. Looking at the Witch, she said, “The only thing you really need to worry about is the penalties for training someone or selling the items without going through the Demon. You could get around some of that, by adding yourself as a ‘licensed seller’ and ‘licensed trainer’ in the contract, which would allow you to sell, but the System would send the money to the Demon, aside from your royalty and the licensee’s cut.” Licensed sellers weren’t an uncommon concept in the galaxy, so there was a framework already in place in the System to account for such things.

When this change was made, Lily nodded. “Very well. I agree, and, no, I won’t be joining your church.” With that, shi signed the contract, after which the Demon signed.

The Demon smiled, and took his copy of the magical contract. “Then, I will leave you here. Until we meet again, ladies.” As he disappeared, three items appeared in the air before Lily, and where the Demon stood, a portal opened, no doubt leading to the next floor of the dungeon.

Token of Teleportation

Type

Tool

Rank

Consumable

This single use token will teleport the user and their party members within 30’ to the entrance hall of the Forbidden Chambers of Exotic Pleasures dungeon so long as they are in a designated safe room, or in a floor boss room where the floor boss has already been defeated. This item will be destroyed when the holder leaves the dungeon, by any means.

Seduction Skill Book

Type

Skill Book

Rank

Uncommon

This book teaches the user the Seduction skill, along with the knowledge in how to use the skill, and enhancing their attractiveness. This item is destroyed after use.

Soulbound to Lily Evans.

+10 CHA

Gain Seduction Skill.

Felsilk Sash of Blessed Damnation

Type

Belt

Rank

Artifact

This sash is woven from the silk of demonic spiders located in a section of the Abyss dedicated to a goddess known as the Spider Queen. It has been enchanted using the blood of a fledgling god mixed with the virgin blood of a formerly pure maiden and the juices of a succubus. The sash, while unwholesome in origin, is nonetheless a powerful item that would be a welcome boon to any magic user, regardless of type.

Soulbound to Lily Evans.

+50 WIS, +50 INT, +50 CHA

Defense increased by 100% (including item bonuses)

20% chance to be unaffected by hostile single-target spells.

Blessed – Blessed by the blood of Kuronoth, Demon Lord of Desire and Domination, the wearer of the sash’s use of Charisma-based skills is 50% more effective (stacks with all other bonuses).

Damnation – Blessed by the blood of Kuronoth, Demon Lord of Desire and Domination, the wearer’s seed becomes empowered. Those who take in hir seed gain +10% profane bonus to all attributes for one hour, and are 20% more likely to follow hir will. Take heed, for the potent seed may prove addictive in nature, and will overpower all but the strongest divine protections against fertility.

Lily just sighed as shi saw what the stats on the sash were. There was no way that shi couldn’t use the item, it was simply too good. Looking over at Lailah, shi said, “Well, I guess he pulled a fast one on us, anyways, huh?”

Sabrael chuckled. “It is certainly an artifact, and one that is perfect for your class. But, yes, there’s definitely a sting there. But the rest of the deal is still very much in your favor, Lily, without any of the more heinous conditions rumored to exist in his other contracts. Consider it a face-saving gesture to maintain his reputation?”

Lily just grumbled as shi tied the sash around her waist. “You say that now, but the Black Temple is still ahead of us. I know what happens in that place.”

Chapter 166 – Meeting

Down in my new lair, at the end of the Eleventh Floor of the dungeon, I watched as my High Priest and his party stepped through the portal I had opened for them, followed by the mercenary leader and her band. I was curious how my subjects had grown since they’d last visited my dungeon. It had been quite some time since they had last paid homage, after all, and they had been traveling and fighting quite a bit since then.

Marvin Jacobs

Human Male

Level 50 Dark Priest / Carpenter

Titles: Devout, High Priest of Kuronoth, Dungeonsworn

Carla Gordon

Human Female

Level 50 Ice Mage / Alchemist

Titles: Devout, Slave, Dungeonsworn

Mary Jones

Human Female

Level 50 Rogue / Skinner

Titles: Devout, Slave, Dungeonsworn

Brad Fraser

Human Male

Level 50 Fighter / Armorer

Titles: Devout, Dungeonsworn, Sentinel

Mark Hunt

Human Male

Level 50 Fighter / Weaponsmith

Titles: Devout, Dungeonsworn, Heavy-handed

Stephanie Knowles

Human Female

Level 50 Druid / Herbalist

Titles: Devout, Slave, Dungeonsworn

To my surprise, all six of them had reached Level 50 of the first Tier. In fact, it felt as though they were almost ready to transcend into the second tier. I would have to find a way for them to do so within my influence, so I could see the process. They would be the first people I’d get to witness breaking through to the next tier.

Sheila Darrows

Human Female

Level 45 Ranger / Soldier

Titles: Defiant One, Survivor

I spared a glance at the mercenary leader while I was at it. She was strong, almost as strong as my team were. But she had more men at her disposal, and they were all armed with System-adapted guns, as well as other weapons. Moreover, they were all soldiers from before the world changed. My observations of the soldiers who had come to challenge me showed that they were, more often than not, far more dangerous than the normal citizens who became adventurers, even if they had the same class and level. The civilians simply didn’t have the same combat experience as a former soldier did.

Looking back at my people, I smiled to myself as they examined my new lair. It was very different from the last time they’d seen me, in the Black Temple, where sat on my throne near my altar. This was part of the Atlantean section of my domain, and, as such, it was very different from what they’d seen before.

The entirety of the area was a single oval-shaped arena nearly three hundred feet long and two hundred feet wide, with sand upon the floor. White stone made up the walls, which curved gracefully around the perimeter, engraved with images of battle and conquest. The stands were fashioned in such a way that the entire structure looked to be like some kind of great predatory bird with its wings outstretched around the sands.

But the arena was clearly not in its prime. Like the rest of the section, I had intentionally flawed the perfect architecture, introducing blue moss and climbing vines around the arena. One wing-tip had broken off, and fallen to the sands below, the rubble creating a break in the open. There were other changes, as well. Ten statues stood proudly, lining the sidewalls, and looking down upon the arena. They were done in an Atlantean style, but they represented each of the nine gods and goddesses enshrined in the black temple, and Freyja, who was enshrined upon the sixth floor. At the far end of the arena, another statue, smaller than the others, representing Pofmis, kneeling, chained in silver, and bound between two columns, her face one of anguish and defeat. And, at one end, where the place of honor was, sat my throne, the same one I had used in the Black Temple, and a statue of myself in onyx and obsidian standing behind it, ruling over all.

The portal had deposited my guests in the stands nearby, and not in the arena below. None of them looked like they had even noticed me, yet. I couldn’t bring myself to be upset. After all, I was rather proud of this floor, and the aesthetics it promoted. But it would be bad form to let that linger on too long. I cleared my throat, the soft sound breaking the reverent silence like a gunshot.

My people turned to see me, and immediately fell to their knees in supplication. Father Jacobs was the first to speak. “My Lord! A thousand apologies! We were lost in the magnificence of your new floor, and did not see you there.”

“You need not worry, Father Jacobs. For I know you, and yours. You have been faithful servants. Even Stephanie, who joined my following while you were abroad, has given herself to the pleasures that I offer with true devotion, such that the System itself has recognized it. I can hardly fault you, my people, for looking upon my works in reverence.”

“Now, I know that I sent you forth to perform tasks for me, but before I see to that, and reward you for your service, I would speak to the warrior woman you brought with you, and see whether we might come to some sort of terms.” I turned my eyes to Sheila, and said, “Now, Ms. Darrows, you have been quite cheeky indeed, attempting to extort your way into my followers’ train so that you could force a meeting with me. Had we met under other circumstances, I might kill you for such arrogance, but you have managed to catch my interest, so I will allow it. I expect you have questions for me, no? Speak, and I may answer.”

I watched the mercenary woman take a breath to steady herself. Whatever she had expected, it was clear she wasn’t ready for the reality. Well, I couldn’t blame her for that. Only a few people actually knew everything about me, and they were all bound to me in some way, either through contracts, or by more permanent means, and they couldn’t reveal the truth to outsiders. Still, she mastered herself quickly enough.

“Y-yeah. I am Sheila Darrows, CEO of Jadesins PMC. We were getting to be one of the better-known private companies in the gun for hire business before the Apocalypse happened. Now, things have been a bit crazy. The inability to travel freely has made jobs problematic, especially as the area of Florida we were in was not exactly high-level in terms of threats. Things weren’t looking too good, to be honest.”

“Then, we heard about a group of religious folk, all following some new god that popped up to the south. We did some research with the System, and then had a meeting. Gods actually have power in the System, and they share that power with their followers. We all agreed that getting in on the ground floor of a new organization would be a good way to increase our own powers in the long haul. So, we arranged for an introduction with your boys and their toys.”

I nodded slowly. I’d gathered all of this already, but it was worth going over again. “Yes, you mentioned that. But why should I bother with you, in particular? There are many who flock to my banner, and, through the dungeon, I can have legions at my command, in time. I even have connections with the actual military and the Adventurer’s Guild, which can supply all sorts of manpower if suitably motivated. So, what use do I have for a group like yours? What do you bring me that I cannot make or take on my own?”

Sheila looked back at me, and said, “Yeah, you got the civvies who suddenly got the knowledge of how to swing a sword, and maybe some goblins and lizards and undead, from what I’ve heard. But you and I both know that the US government ain’t going to lend out the Army to you unless it has a damn good reason, and it certainly isn’t going to have a team of operators you can call on whenever you want. That’s what I’m offering.”

She took a breath, and continued on, before I could speak. “We have four priests, eight rangers, five fighters, two rogues, a Pyromancer, three Artificers, a Craftsman, a Magitech Engineer, and an Overseer. All of them ready to work for you, on whatever jobs you send us on.”

“I see. And what of the gods? Do you and your priests follow any god in particular, or are you still looking for something to believe in?”

“We have talked about it, and all of us are willing to follow you, in theory. But we’ve seen the way your followers operate. We aren’t going to be slaves, or playthings to anyone. We joined together to form this company in order to control our destiny, and we won’t throw that away, no matter what.”

Ooh, defiance! I loved seeing that in my prey. But this ranger didn’t strike me like the other women who had come into my dungeon full of self-assurance and bluster. Just like she’d done research on me, I had done research on her. She was different from the others who had come here. She wasn’t the kind of person to just roll over in the face of torment.

Oh, sure, most of the people who came to my dungeon were strong personalities, at first. Few weaklings survived the initial chaos of the Apocalypse, after all, and fewer still became Adventurers. But that was a different kind of strength. And it wasn’t the kind you needed for true domination.

You see, most of the people who came to my dungeon were weak. Both men and women. Modern society bred that weakness into them with concepts like ‘equality’ and social justice and the like. Oh, not that they were entirely bad ideas, but they were ‘civilized’ ideas. They robbed someone of a more primal strength.

It went beyond mere desire, of course. Desire was simply the first step. You had to have the will to act on that desire, to force your will upon the world. You had to do that, without thinking about how society might feel about it, or the social pressures others might face.

It was the will of the conqueror. It was the idea that you would go out and take what you wanted because you wanted it, and anyone who had a problem with that was welcome to try and stop you. And it was a will that so many of the people who came to my dungeon simply didn’t have.

At best, you had groups like the Crimson Valkyries, who radiated strength and self-confidence. But they weren’t willing to take. They gathered together more out of self-preservation and to keep from relying on men who might want to use them. Lea, the little paladin, was even worse, in that regard. She wasn’t trying to be strong so she could conquer, she was trying to deny the truth that I had conquered her long ago, and that conquest still had its claws in her, even now.

Of course, I had forged some of my minions into dominants, but I had first had to break them. Diego, for instance, might be a suitable mirror of my own intentions now, but that wasn’t until I had tortured him and broken him to the point where he actually raped someone and decided he enjoyed it. Before, he had been weak. All my playthings had been weak.

I looked down at Sheila, and I saw strength. It took strength for a woman in the military to try and buck the odds and force the elite of the elites to let her at the table, and to never back down like that. She set a goal, and she fought for it. When someone told her she couldn’t do it, she told them to fuck off, and found a way to do it anyways. That was the kind of strength I looked for in my followers. That was the kind of strength so few of them actually had.

I smiled at her. “No, you won’t be a slave. I can see it now. It isn’t pride, either, but will. Even if collared and bound, you would fight, and breaking you would probably kill you. It would certainly ruin your usefulness. No, you I will make one of my first female acolytes.”

Her eyes widened, but I continued. “Only one other female has proven their will to me before. That one was insufferably insolent to me, and so I branded her, threw her to the goblins and the breeding halls, and eventually, when she was used up, I sent her to another world where she will no longer be my concern. You, however, have shown respect, while still keeping your strength. I find that you may be worthy.”

I took a breath, and then said, “But, to truly see if you are worthy, and your people are worthy, then tests must be made. Those who succeed in the trials shall gain great power, and enter into my service. Those who fail shall know servitude like they have not before, and while they shall still be in my service, they will be as you see the women of the party I sent forth, docile servants to their betters. Will you take the challenge, and risk it all, or will you refuse, and be cast out of my dungeon, to delve like any other adventurer?”

Sheila took a moment to look at her people. I noticed that one or two looked conflicted, probably considering the penalties if they lost, but they all steeled themselves and nodded to her, even the guy who was clearly a clerk or office manager. She turned back to me, and said, “We’ll take the challenge.”

Chapter 167 – Lizards in the Swamp

“KEEP RUNNING!”

Lily Evans was breathing heavily. Even though someone using an Analyze spell would say that hir level was almost the same as the other three in hir party, the truth was that they were almost fifty levels higher than hir, due to the System and its tiers. Their endurance, even for Sabrael, their least physically imposing member, was far greater than hirs, and it was showing.

The problem, of course, was this damn swamp they’d entered after leaving the Goblin Town floor of the dungeon. Normally, it was just a swamp, with monsters who sought to ambush adventurers as they searched for the three idols they needed to unlock the door to the boss room. Unfortunately, that was on the ‘normal’ mode. This ‘hardcore’ version was another beast entirely.

The first problem was the idols themselves. Normally, they were hidden on stone pillars in the swamp, and you had to search and find them. Instead of the normal (distasteful) means of getting hints at their locations, the Demon made it so they had to find the idols without help, simply by wandering through the swamp. To make things even more difficult, the idols were no longer presented on pillars, but were hidden in the foliage, or under water, or in other, equally frustrating places.

The next problem was that the number of enemies had increased tenfold. Most were just slimes, of course, which normally wouldn’t be an issue, except these ‘Burst Passionslimes’ exploded when they were killed, showering those around in their aphrodisiac slime. It was impossible not to get splashed, which risked leaving them vulnerable to the other creatures on the floor. Worse, if they tried to use area effect spells or abilities, and damaged the swamp, they were teleported back to the start of the level, without the idols they’d already found, and the positions changed.

The final problem, and the one they were running from, was that, because just having exploding slimes full of aphrodisiacs wasn’t enough, there were several groups of Lewd Lizardfolk hunting them. Each group had five warriors, all aimed with spears and nets, the better to catch fleeing prey with. Each time they found an idol, an additional group of lewd lizardfolk got spawned into the floor, right where the idol had been!

The patrols that had been in the swamp originally were troublesome to deal with, especially without resorting to area effect magics, but three adventurers on the cusp of Tier 3 and another almost to Tier 2 were more than capable. But the summoned groups were another story entirely. It was only luck that they had escaped that first summoned pack.

It had taken them almost three hours of searching to find the first of the idols, half-submerged by the roots of a tree. If Sabrael hadn’t already cast a spell to detect magic, so that she could, hopefully, follow the connection between the three idols, then she might have been too slow to detect the flare of magic when Lailah touched the idol, not giving the Shadowblade enough time to retreat. If they had been any less paranoid, keeping most of the group back, in case of traps, then they might all have been caught in the aphrodisiac cloud the lewd creatures unleashed.

Daphiel had acted on instinct, unleashing a wave of holy light to burn away the creatures. But the light did not discriminate between the enemies and their surroundings. They returned to the start of the floor, and, to their horror, they noted that the only things that had not reset were their fatigue, mana and health levels, and the consumables they had used. Even the experience they had gained and the loot they’d taken from the foes they fought so far on the floor vanished, as though the last three hours had been nothing but a fever dream. It was enough to make Lily want to cry.

The second time, they’d managed to find the first idol in merely an hour, but only because an aquatic assassin vine managed to trip up Sabrael, who, literally, fell right on top of the idol which had been submerged underwater. Unfortunately, that was enough to set off the summoning charm, with all of them well inside the cloud of the lewd lizardfolk’s pheromones. If Sabrael, struggling against the plant monster, hadn’t realized what happened, and unleashed a fireball that scorched several trees the moment her head broke water, then they likely would have still been there, getting raped by the lizards.

They’d tried to take a break before starting their third attempt to get through the floor, but there was nowhere dry to sit, and clouds of insects began swarming them whenever they sat still for too long. Worse, Lily had already found three leeches that had attached themselves to hir without hir knowing, which had been draining hir HP and MP before shi removed them. The others were hardly in any better shape.

Which is why they were forced to press on, despite their fatigue. So, when they had found the first idol in just two hours, without getting coated in passionslime gel more than twice, they were ecstatic. They were also horny as hell, and couldn’t spare the time or magic to deal with the issue. Perhaps that why the plan had seemed like such a good idea at the time.

As one, they set off running the moment Lailah touched the idol. Even as the lizardfolk were summoned in behind them, Lailah had already passed off the idol to Sabrael, who was already using magic to track the trail between the idols. The plan, such as it was, was to keep running and pick up all three idols in one go, before making a break for the door that they needed to slot them into in order to get to the boss room. That was the plan.

However, it could be said that things rarely go according to plan, especially when the plan is less thoroughly vetted than someone answering a personals ad online. They had managed to get all three idols, certainly enough, which had left them with fifteen lewd lizardfolk on their tails. Unfortunately, that was not all the lewd lizardfolk on the floor. They had almost run straight into one of the ‘regular’ patrols.

Somehow, they had managed to avoid the worst fate, mainly thanks to Lailah’s sensory skills. However, they were cut off from the door, and they now had twenty scaly bastards after them, and no clue where they were going. All they could do was keep running, and hope that their enemy ran out of steam before they did. Unfortunately, they were hunting as a pack, not straining themselves, always herding the women further as they started to draw the noose tighter and tighter.

If only it were a mere footrace, perhaps they could have managed. If only they were thinking clearly, perhaps they could have come up with some strategy. If only…

“Up ahead! I see something!”

Lily snapped out of hir daydreams, born of lust and panic, and looked ahead, trying to focus and see what Lailah was talking about. Then, shi saw it, like a glorious beacon of hope. The steel hatch of a safe room, like the others the Demon had put in this dungeon.

But could they get the door open before the lizardfolk were upon them? Could they get through it without being overcome by the pheromones? Would they be able to get the door closed in time to keep the monsters from simply walking in?

Lily didn’t have to ask such stupid questions. Shi knew the dungeon, and its creatures. Shi’d been ‘hunted’ by the Lizardfolk before in the breeding halls, and knew how fast they were. No, there was no way they could succeed. Not without something to buy time.

As shi made it to the metal door, shi forced hirself to take a breath, and said, “Sabrael, air shield! Strongest you can make! I’ll throw up a barrier! You other two, get that door open! I won’t be able to hold it for long!”

The others may have been higher ranked than hir in every way, but shi had a plan at that moment, and none of them were thinking clearly enough to come up with objections. Even as Lily threw up the strongest barrier shi could against physical attacks and entry, shi felt the mana pulse as Sabrael conjured an air barrier, sealing them in a bubble of pure air, and keeping the pheromones out.

The next thing shi knew, the Lewd Lizardfolk were crashing against hir barrier, with such force that shi was actually forced back a step from the mystic backlash, and the attacks didn’t stop with just that one, as the creatures tried to overpower hir barrier with numbers. But shi held the barrier. Everything else went away. All that mattered was holding the barrier for long enough…

Shi yelped as a strong arm looped around hir waist, and yanked hir backward. Hir concentration slipped, and, to hir horror, the barrier shattered. Before shi could even process what was happening, however, shi found hirself looking, dazedly, up at a stone ceiling, with the three sisters looking down at hir.

As the world returned to focus, Lily looked around in confusion. “What happened?”

Sabrael smiled cheerfully at her. “Channel Trance. Common condition for spellcasters, especially when they’re trying to channeling spells beyond their current capabilities or under more strain than they’re used to. Usually just breaking their concentration is enough to break the trance. Though there are people who ended up killing themselves or permanently burning out their magical abilities because they got stuck in the trance for too long, so it isn’t like there wasn’t a concern.”

Lailah shook her head. “We can talk about this later.” When everyone turned to look at her, they were surprised to see her already taking off her belt. She met their gaze with one of resignation. “The Safe Room is only safe if you follow the rules, and we’ve used up three minutes already, by my count.”

Lily gasped as shi remembered the rules of the Safe Rooms in the Nightmare mode. Sure enough, when shi looked, there was a System notice floating before hir eyes. It was just as bad as shi had heard.

Safe Room

In Nightmare difficulty, the safe rooms no longer offer complete safety. So long as any member of the party is clothed, a random monster will spawn every 10 minutes. All prior restrictions on the use of the safe room’s features remain unchanged.

Parties that have managed to find a safe room while in Nightmare mode have an additional chance to escape the dungeon, by signing the amended contract provided, and using the escape keys that will be distributed upon signing.

Well, it wasn’t all that bad, really. They were all girls here, right? Oh, wait, they weren’t. And terror and adrenalin had only suppressed the lust temporarily, thanks to their stamina and willpwer. And the room was full of those herbs, the ones that were refined into the aphrodisiac the Demon used.

Fuck.

There was nothing for it. Shi stood, and began stripping off. Soon, shi stood there, naked as all the others, but they only had eyes for hir. Or, rather, a part of hir.

Lailah and Sabrael knelt down, eyes wide in wonder and lust as they looked upon the magnificent, veiny cock in front of them. Daphiel had experienced it before, and simply bit her lip, remembering that first time in the challenge arena. None of them said anything for a moment.

“It… it is so BIG! It’s bigger than my arm!” Lailah gasped. She leaned forward, touching it with her fingers. “And it is so warm. And hard!”

Sabrael’s fingers slid between her thighs, for just a moment, before she looked up at Lily, a smile on her face. “May I taste it?”

Lily, already barely keeping hir self-control with the shadowblade’s hand upon hir dick, lost it. Shi grunted, and, with one hand, pushed Sabrael’s face down upon hir rod, not stopping until the woman’s nose touched hir belly. “FUCK, suck me, girl!”

And she did.

Chapter 168 – The Trial

“There is no good or evil, only power, and those too weak to attain it.”

The Demon’s voice boomed out from all around the space Sheila found herself in. It was an arena, about fifty feet wide. Not big, by any means, but it wasn’t tiny. Good for a martial arts match of some kind, but not a group event. Which was probably why she was there on her own.

“You have claimed that you are worthy of being an acolyte of the Lord Kuronoth. That you have the will to dominate. This trial shall test your resolve. You must dominate the hardest foe for any person: yourself.”

Seven shapes appeared before her. No, not mere shapes. Seven images of her. Each was dressed differently.

The first was a soldier in uniform. The uniform matched her dress uniform from her time in the military, with enough service ribbons and gleaming medals to make someone think that she was the Generalissimo of some banana republic. There was a confident sneer on that Sheila’s face.

The second was dressed in a sleek, strapless, red-sequinned designer dress, with a slit up one side reaching almost to her waist. Her hair was perfectly done, just like the models she’d always watched as a kid with her mother. The muscles she’d worked so hard on had disappeared, giving her a softer, more feminine look. And she clearly had implants, as there was no way just a change in lifestyle would make her go from a pair of Bs to a set of Ds.

Third in line was her, dressed in a tight black skirt and jacket combo, clearly looking like some kind of corporate suit. She couldn’t help but notice the heels she wore were clearly designer brands, and her jewelry, while not gaudy, radiated wealth. The whole setup looked like it cost as much or more than a luxury car!

Fourth was a version of her that looked like something out of a fantasy comic book. Wearing little more than chainmail bikini, this version of her had a feral, crazed look on her face. In either hand was a battleaxe, both looking well-used. Blood covered the axes, and had sprayed itself all across her face.

Beside that ferocious-looking warrior, was its very antithesis. Sheila recoiled in horror and disgust as she looked on the fifth image. She had to weigh over three hundred pounds, and yet she was dressed in clothes that were clearly two sizes too small for her. Across the chest was printed the word ‘SNACK’. As she was watching, the woman dropped one of the pieces of candy she was eating, and turned around to bend over and grab it off the ground, giving Sheila a perfect (and wholly unwanted) view of the word ‘JUICY’ written across the back of that… thing’s sweatpants.

The sixth image was more palatable, but only in comparison to the last. This one, too, was overweight, though not so morbidly as the last. Instead, she was just that normal level of unhealthy, sitting sprawled on the ground, not even bothering to look up from the youtube video on her phone. She knew it was a youtube video by the way the person suddenly broke into a promotion for some mobile game.

The seventh, and final, image was disturbing, in another way. This version of her was dressed in a leather corset, with matching boots and gloves, but nothing else. She could see the woman’s breasts clearly, and the only reason she couldn’t see below was because she was sitting with one leg crossed over the other. In her hand was a riding crop, which she used to whip the fat, naked man on his hands and knees, who seemed all too pleased at the abuse, both of being turned into a chair, and the impact of the crop against his backside. It was a strange look to see on the face of someone who had been the leader of the country before he blew himself up to start the Apocalypse.

Looking at each of the versions of her in turn, she frowned. She had her weapons, of course, but, looking at some of the images, this shouldn’t be strictly a trial of combat, right? There was no way that the fat or lazy versions of her could even fight, much less prove a challenge. Meanwhile, the barbarian version seemed a bit too wild. And what did the demon say? It wasn’t ‘conquer’ or ‘kill’ or even ‘defeat’, but ‘dominate’.

Sheila frowned. Half-remembered words from church as a child came back to her. Seven. There was significance in that number. Seven appeared a lot in the bible, right? Seven seals, seven days to create the world, seven… Seven deadly sins?

Could it be that simple? Sheila looked at the images again, with fresh eyes. The barbarian was Wrath, that was easy to see. Corporate bigwig had to be Greed. The lazy one was Sloth. Fatty McFatass was Gluttony. The soldier with gleaming medals had to be Pride.

But what about the last two? That was trickier. Her first thought was to say that the figure in red was clearly Lust. She knew exactly how men would look at her if she was like that. But then there was that other her, dressed in leather, with an idiot businessman turned idiot politician acting as furniture. That couldn’t be Envy, right?

No, wait. That wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all. She looked back at the Jessica Rabbit version of herself. She’d always envied how people looked at the models, or the cheerleaders in high school. People had never looked at her like that. Even if she didn’t want the kind of slack-jawed drooling idiots that chased after the cheerleaders, she wanted to be wanted. Didn’t everyone? No, that was clearly Envy.

Which meant that the ‘dominatrix’ version of herself was Lust? Honestly, her love life had been, well, fairly barren recently. OK, ever since she was in high school, actually. The only ones who wanted anything to do with her were either musclehead jocks that thought they could ‘tame’ her, or spineless worms that liked it when she yelled at them. Oh, and then there were the women. Not that she had a problem with lesbians, or anything. It was just that, besides a couple drunken experiments in college, she just wasn’t interested.

So, what did that representation of her mean? Was it some kind of cruel joke? No. Don’t go down that road. Think clearly, and work it through. The Army got a bad rap from people for being meatheads, but she had tried to go Ranger, and Special Forces. They didn’t let stupid people even dream of those gigs. So, she had to think this through.

She turned to look at Pride. She was proud of herself, and her achievements. She wasn’t as decorated as this image was, but she’d done hard work and gotten recognized for it. Some of those medals and service ribbons were ones she actually had earned. So, what did that mean here? Like reality, but more so?

Greed was the same, wasn’t it? That was her, if she had devoted herself to being a corporate shark instead of a soldier and operator. If she’d given in to greed, and gone all in on it.

It was starting to make sense. Each ‘sin’ was represented, in a form that would be her, if she gave in and took that sin to the ultimate conclusion. Some of the pictures even looked damn enticing. But that was the point, wasn’t it? No one would sin if there wasn’t something to enjoy about sinning.

So how did she ‘dominate’ this challenge? Was it to simply reject the offered sins? No, that wasn’t really the Demon’s style. And picking one also didn’t seem like the right answer. She needed to make a test. But which one would be safest?

Looking over the group, she picked Sloth. Sloth and Gluttony were the two she felt she could resist the best, but she didn’t want her visceral reaction to her Gluttony form to color her perceptions. With that in mind, she walked up to the image of Sloth, and reached out to shake her shoulder.

The next moment, she was no longer in her body. Well, no, she was, but it was different. She looked down at the screen of the phone in her hand. The next video had just loaded.

Ooh, this one was about mods for that Elder Tomes game she liked. She could just sit and watch as the reviewer talked about the mods to come out this week. That was fine.

That was fine? Wait, didn’t she have something to do? No, she couldn’t listen to a promotion for Attack: Shadow Myths, even if it was the hot new game. She had something to do, right?

But did it matter, really? Did anything matter, in the end? As long as she had stable internet, and could play games and watch videos, did she really need more than that? Wasn’t she just hurting herself with all these demands on her time?

No. She was here because she had chosen to be here, to be something more than a stay at home couch potato. To be more than a mere soldier. She wanted to be elite. And being elite took work, constant work. She couldn’t slack off like this!

None of it mattered, honestly. After all, what could she really do? Even if she got through this, she was really just hoping that the Demon kept his word. It would be so much easier to just let go, and relax. She’d always hated the constant work, hadn’t she? Now was a perfect time to hand over the company to someone else, and let them deal with all the problems.

No, no, NO! She was NOT going to give up her company! Not after everything she’d done! Not after all the blood, sweat, and toil she’d put into it, forcing all the operators to acknowledge her, and respect her abilities. She wasn’t going to just throw that away! She needed to prove herself, damnit!

But was it worth it, really? Look at what it had cost her. She was single, with no prospects. No family. She’d given up her military job, and, before the Apocalypse, Jadesins had been just barely hanging on, after all the paychecks and supply costs cleared. They had been one long patch between jobs from shutting down, and she knew it.

Yeah, and so what? She’d pulled through. They had pulled through. So, no. She wasn’t going to just sit back and let the world pass her by, or whatever. That wasn’t what she wanted!

But does it matter?

OF COURSE, IT MATTERED! She was no one’s puppet, no one’s pawn! She made her own fate, and she wasn’t going to just sit down and let life pass her by because it was hard. It had always been hard, but the rewards were worth it, especially now, when the world had become like a game. Her work meant something, and she could see the advances as she leveled up. She knew things mattered.

But the stress is burning you at both ends. You’ll be dead from overwork before long. And then what will you do?

No. Ok, so maybe she needed to take more time for herself, and self-care, but that was why she was doing this! That was why she was going to become one of the Demon’s Acolytes! Sure, there’d be work, but the company would have a solid backer, and she wouldn’t have to worry about the finances any more. They’d be set, only needing to do what they did best.

She was going to put in hard work now, so that she could take a break later. But that didn’t mean she was just going to become a slacker, who didn’t know how to push things. She wanted to be the best, and now she could. And she would even have time for a break, now and then.

The other voice, the other her, did not answer. Once again, she was standing where she had been when she first entered the arena. And this time, six figures remained in front of her. There was a gap where the sprawled figure of sloth had been.

“So that’s how it is. Not just rejecting the ‘sin’. The idea is to take some ideas from the sin, but hold true to what is me. To dominate my failings, and not let them control me. Rejecting them is rejecting myself, which makes me weaker. Something like that?”

“Very good. But you merely started with the easiest one, you know. It will get much harder from here.”

Sheila groaned at the Demon’s words. She had no doubt that it was true. She was too active, too driven for Sloth to have much hold on her. But some of the others… She shook her head.

It was going to be a long trial.

Chapter 169 – Challenges of the Water Temple

“So, this is the Water Temple?” Lailah Freeheart frowned as she looked over the wide area they were placed in after stepping through the portal from the fourth floor. It looked like a beach around a large lake. In the center of the lake, she could see the top of a stepped pyramid rising up out of the water. “Certainly doesn’t seem like much.”

And, truly, it didn’t. When she heard of a temple in the water, she expected something like the Cerulean Falls Shrine on Bluemountain, where the eternal waterfall was guided and shaped around the temple, so that the mists and sounds of water eternally shrouded the shrine of the Water God, Yzdros in an ethereal mist. Instead, she was faced with nothing more than a basic pyramid, mostly submerged in a lake. How incredibly dull.

The sound of laughter nearby shattered the moment like a spell being dispelled. Turning to look at the source of the voice, Lailah’s fingers twitched involuntarily towards her blades. She’d earned the Demon’s Bane title for her efforts in slaughtering the foul abominations, and here was one, a vile succubus, no less, simply standing there and laughing at them out in the open?

No, on second look the succubus wasn’t even standing. A stone dais sat on the sand, and she had perched herself on the railing that surrounded it, save for a gap at the stairs. She was naked, bearing only some jewelry, like the golden chain that hung down between her bared breasts as she lounged, utterly at ease.

Lailah attempted to use her Shadow Step ability, and ended up stumbling when the power failed to activate. Renewed laughter from the succubus caused her to curse in frustration. Of course, the Water Temple had magic restricted over most of the floor. Only attack and healing magic could be used, which meant that her abilities which boosted her movement, like Shadow Step, were useless here.

Lily placed a hand on Lailah’s shoulder, and shook hir head. “Don’t let her get to you, Lailah. This is the Water Temple, after all. That demon is simply the steward, to give instruction.” Shi looked over to the succubus. “Or has that changed in this mode?”

The succubus pouted slightly. “Oh, dear. I was hoping one of you would be so foolish as to attack me. Then I could go, and let you figure out everything for yourselves. I get rewarded when you pious fools doom yourselves by trying to shoot the messenger, you know.”

Sabrael sighed. “I know how you feel about demons, Lailah, but even if you destroy a demon bound to a dungeon, they’ll come back, unless you bind their soul. All that you’ll do is earn the demon a reward, and make our dive more dangerous than it already is.”

“Fine. I won’t strike the hellspawn. One of you talk to it.” Lailah shook Lily’s hand off her shoulder and stormed off. Once she had retreated far enough to be out of casual earshot of the dais, she began running through several training exercises with her blades. She might recognize the truth of their words, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

Sabrael, satisfied that Lailah had things under control, turned back to look at the succubus. “So, you are the steward of this floor, and one who dispenses information about its structure, yes? Then, please tell us everything about the floor your master allows you to.”

“Hoh, so polite! What a rare thing for the zealots.” The succubus grinned. “But then, you aren’t so zealous any more, are you? The Master said that you enjoyed your challenge quite a bit, you know. Don’t worry, he only showed the video to dungeon denizens, not the outside world.”

Sabrael grit her teeth. This was the way of demons. Even when they weren’t committing atrocities, they were always looking to get under the skin of the righteous. Worse, they had a way of speaking truths that were… inconvenient at best, and forcing believers to doubt. It was difficult to defend against, even if you knew what their goal was.

“The information?”

“Fine, fine. First, here’s the standard introduction that everyone who comes here on ‘Nightmare’ difficulty gets.”  The Succubus cleared her throat, and then began speaking in a more formal tone, clearly operating from a memorized script.

“By decree of the Demon of the Dungeon, Lord and Master of the Forbidden Chambers of Exotic Pleasures, all magics that neither cause damage nor heal it are rendered void, save for on this dais, and others like it, until you unlock the deepest part of the Pyramid. Other magics cast here that have ongoing effects will be dispelled once you step off the platform, but those that have resolved their effects are not reversed. So, if one of you were to die, you would need to drag their body back to this platform to raise them.”

“To open the Temple, and allow access to the trials inside, three rites must be followed, unless one of you were to fall to your knees and accept Kuronoth, Demon of the Dungeon, as your lord and worship him, allowing you to walk a different path to access the Temple.” She paused, to smirk at the adventurers. “But I doubt you’ll be doing that, will you? Too bad, it is always so much fun watching you righteous types fall.”

With a malicious grin, she continued, “For the first trial, you may choose between two handicaps. You may either make a sacrifice of one item of gear you currently wear upon your bodies, or accept a curse that shall follow you throughout the floor. This curse cannot be dispelled, and will not end until you have left the floor, either through the portal after defeating the boss, or by fleeing the dungeon through magic.”

Daphiel groaned at that. They’d read the reports Lailah had gotten from the Adventurer’s Guild, including the clear conditions for opening the Temple. This ‘first trial’ was one of the individual paths the ‘normal’ difficulty adventurers could choose. If that was the case, then it seemed like they would have to do all three?

Her musing turned prophetic as the Succubus continued. “For the second trial, you must venture through the waters surrounding the temple, and do battle with the Vurlocks beneath the surface. Pieces of a key have been scattered in different locations, each marked with one of your names upon it. Gather all the pieces of the key, and then place them in the appropriate place upon the altar atop the Temple.”

Lily simply nodded. She’d known that was coming, after all. There was no way that they would be able to avoid fighting the vurlocks on the hardest settings the dungeon offered. Honestly, the fact that they were offered a choice on the first trial was surprising, in and of itself.

“Once all the keys are placed, the third trial may begin. You must select one member of your party as tribute. The tribute will mount herself upon the statue of the Lord Kuronoth, and pleasure herself until she climaxes once for each member of the party that does not follow the Demon Lord of Pleasure. From the moment the tribute mounts the statue, until the task is done, the other party members must give their blood, with wounds open.”

Lailah, who had moved closer despite her distaste for the messenger, began cursing anew once she heard that. It was just like the damn Demon to do something like that! The only way to get into the damn Temple was to play to his perversions! If there weren’t consequences for killing dungeons without cause, she’d happily destroy this dungeon, just for the pleasure of seeing him die. By the Goddess, she was sorely tempted to do it anyways, and damn the consequences!

But the Succubus was not yet done. “When the trials are done, the key shall be transmuted. When a member of your party places the key around their neck, the Temple shall be unlocked. But take a care, for to proceed, that person must keep wearing the key openly until you leave this floor. Should it be lost or removed, the temple and all its gates will be sealed.”

“Inside the temple, puzzles, locks, and traps await. Each puzzle you solve will open the gate. Each lever pulled will prime the locks. When the third gate is opened and the third lock undone, the final pedestal with the final lock shall open. When that final lock is released, only then shall the water drain from the temple.”

Sabrael frowned. This was a very significant spike in difficulty from the ‘normal’ settings of the floor, according to their information. The water not draining until the end would not normally be an issue, but with only healing and attack magic being allowed, that meant it would be extremely difficult for her and her sisters to hold their breath that long, while solving puzzles and pulling levers. It would be patently impossible for Lily to do that, or anyone in the first Tier.

“As the waters drain, traps once dormant will awaken, to challenge the ones who opened the final lock. When all are reunited on the final floor, the shield will drop, and allow you to take the test of the seven vials, and pass the final test beyond. Those who succeed so far, earn the right to face the boss of this floor, and proceed onward.”

“And those who fail, die,” Daphiel added in her head. She was under no illusions here. The other floors, the ones they had passed through before now, they were all designed to wound or maim, or to wear down enemies, rather than killing them outright. This floor, especially in this form, was a killer, through and through.

The Succcubus looked at them, and smiled. “And a final word of warning, for those who would think to sit idle, and take their ease while others work. There is dungeon magic in the walls and floors of the Temple. Do not tarry in one place overlong, or you may find yourself caught by shadows, and your whole party transported back to this point, and made to do the entire floor again, from the beginning, despite any pains or fatigue you may endure. Only once the test of poison begins will it be safe to rest, and contemplate your path.”

Lily paled at that thought. Going through the hell this floor promised once was bad enough. Having to do it again and again until they got it right? All the while their wounds and exhaustion would mount up? That would be a death sentence, unless they found someplace to rest. Come to think of it, she had heard from other dungeon denizens where the safe room on this floor was, so they could at least rest easy, if it took too many tries to finish the job.

“However,” the Succubus continued, “the Master is willing to intercede upon your behalf, and, as special dispensation, allow the water to drain once each lock is opened, as it is in the standard version of this floor. However, in return, each member of your party must take in the words of Lord Kuronoth, as your High Magus did in her challenge on the second floor. Do this, and your path will be made easier. Be warned, the price for this mercy will only go up the more times the shadows return you here.”

Lailah sighed, and looked over at her sister. “Sabrael, just how bad was it, learning from that book? Are we in danger if we do it?”

Sabrael held her breath for a moment, and then said, “You and Lily would be in no immediate danger, though you would lose the Devoted title, and perhaps have it replaced with one less to your liking. Daphiel, however…” she paused, and looked her sister in the eye. “What would Lady Chainbreaker say if you committed an earnest study of the teachings of a nascent divinity in polar opposition to her views?”

Daphiel sighed. “Without any doubt, she would censure me for such a thing. I would lose the Devoted title, most assuredly. And I could even be stripped of my class, depending on how deeply She felt the transgression went.”

“Then perhaps I can make a counter-offer.”

All four of them turned at the sound of that voice. Where the succubus had formerly been lounging upon the railing, now she was perched in the Demon’s lap. The Demon openly toyed with the succubus’s body, causing the pleasure demon to moan in excitement. With a devilish grin, he looked them all over, and said, “After all, I love to make a deal.”

Chapter 170 – TPK

(Lily POV)

“How in the hell am I going to get out of this one?”

Lily was biting hir lip, more than a little concerned. The description of the Water Temple had made it clear that it would be nearly impossible for them to clear, but the sisters refused to compromise with the Demon of the Dungeon any further than they already had. This was due, in part, to the fact that they still had their mission from their goddess, and they could not allow anything to come between them and their goal. The larger part of it, however, was that they knew full well that they would likely lose their standing with Pofmis if they made a deal with a Demon Lord of Domination, her polar opposite.

The first time, his offer had been… insulting. In fact, the Demon did not even bother trying to hide it. Expecting the four of them to spend time in the breeding halls, with zombies and ghouls, was perverse beyond measure. Lily had undergone that torture before, of course, but it would be a small price to pay if it meant they could escape the Water Temple without dying. Unfortunately, the three sisters were too repulsed at the idea to even consider it.

Three times they had fought their way to the Temple, and started making their way down. Each time, one of them had been caught by the shadow hands, and they were returned to the start. Each time, their HP and MP had not returned to what it was before, but they still had to fight their way to the keys again. The only positive thing in the whole situation was that the curses they suffered from the first trial were reset each time, forcing them to experience new and troublesome curses.

Each time they’d come back to the beginning, the Demon was lounging there, the succubus riding his dick like a porn star. Each time, he’d offered them a deal, the contents of which were, as promised, just that much worse each time. And each time they were more and more exhausted, even if they conserved mana, their stamina couldn’t help but go down under those conditions.

The fourth time through, they had found the safe room, and had returned to rest there after they had finished gathering their pieces of the key. Rested and feeling more confident than they had been before, Daphiel’s self-control had slipped when the Demon appeared in front of them, offering them another deal. She’d snapped at him, using words that didn’t translate well from her native Atlantean. The Demon had understood the intent, however, and simply smiled, saying that he would see them next time.

The next time, he was there on the dais, balls deep in the succubus’s ass, as he had promised. That damn smirk on his face hadn’t changed in the least. In fact, he looked more pleased and smugger than shi had ever seen him before. The reason why soon became apparent.

Hidden conditions met!

Dungeon Law

If any creature that fails to complete a specific floor of the dungeon five times in a row, even on multiple delves, for whatever reason, while delving on Nightmare difficulty, that creature and their party shall be bound and enslaved to the Forbidden Chambers of Exotic Pleasures dungeon. Creatures so enslaved will have their races, classes, professions, and skills altered to better suit the dungeon. Each attempt shall be considered begun from the beginning of the first instance of combat on the floor.

Utter dread crashed over Lily as shi saw that. Shi knew the Demon would do it. And shi knew that, if it happened, they would all be in for a fate far, far worse than death.

Lily looked at the others, and was going to try and convince them to leave. They could always regroup, and try again, now that they knew more about the dungeon. Shi had that ‘escape key’ the Demon had given her, after all. They could still get out of this.

Unfortunately, Daphiel, still heated from their last encounter, did not even finish reading the dungeon law before she lashed out at the Demon, attempting to smite him. Her blade clashed with his black blade for only a moment, before he smiled an evil smile. As he and the succubus faded into shadows and disappeared, they could hear his voice, “Combat started. Still counts even if I run away, you know.”

Since then, Lily had had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Shi knew that things were going to be bad, once they got to the Temple. Clearing the way was not a problem, just as it hadn’t been the first few times. The point of the vurlocks wasn’t to overwhelm adventurers, though Lily doubted the Demon would care if they did, but to wear them down. The whole Water Temple floor, even on its normal mode, was designed to wear people down, making them more susceptible to the horrors of the floors below.

The division of labor was the same as it had been the first four times that they had attempted the temple. Lily, being the lowest-leveled of the party, and the only one who was not a follower of a rival of Pofmis, was selected as the ‘tribute’ each time at the altar, fucking hirself silly while the sisters bled. Shi’d also been elected to remain above, to press the button that would drain all the water when the gates were open.

It was the easier task, considering that the other three would have to hold their breaths without magic for the entire time they were beneath the water. However, at their level, being almost to the third tier, they could do that easily enough. Shi wouldn’t have a chance, and they all knew it.

They were taking it easy on hir, and shi hadn’t let them down. The first four times through, it hadn’t been hir who had been caught by the shadow hands and had the four of them sent back to the beginning! It had been a near thing, a couple times, but shi had kept up hir end.

Shi could already tell the difference between this time and the last. The hands came more frequently, never giving hir a chance to rest. Shi had to keep up a pace not unlike a light jog, going back and forth from one side of hir platform to another to keep the hands from grabbing hir, and dooming them all.

Shi could feel hirself starting to get tired, hir legs starting to ache at the exertion, but shi had no idea how near or far the sisters were to their objective, and no way of communicating with them. All shi could do is think silently at them, and hope hir thoughts and prayers had more power now than they had before the Apocalypse.

“Hurry up! I don’t know how long I can keep this going!”

(Lailah POV)

Lailah was no less distressed than Lily. None of them were taking the Demon’s threat lightly. Dungeon Laws were known to be absolute, as far as they went. They were fairly common amongst dungeons, after all, and had been well studied. Even Dungeon Laws that remained hidden until conditions were met weren’t unknown. But for a Dungeon Law to be so purposefully malicious and targeted was an aberration. If there had been any doubts that the Demon of the Dungeon was the master of the Dungeon, then they had been blown away long ago.

Unfortunately, that didn’t help their current situation. Like Lily, Lailah had been about to advise her sisters that it would be best to retreat, regroup, and come up with a new plan that would allow them to properly prepare for the dungeon. They’d clearly underestimated the dungeon, thinking that it was ‘merely’ a Tier 1 dungeon. Tier 1 it may be, but the Demon made it so that even Tier 2s like them could easily die. Judging from the power of the creatures, the dungeon might even be nearing a breakthrough to the next tier, itself. She shuddered to think what the Demon could do with power like that.

She’d been frozen in shock and horror when Daphiel unleashed a battle cry, and attacked the Demon, before she could even speak. In that instant, she knew that the bastard had planned for exactly that to happen. Showing up in person, making his obscene and insulting demands, teasing and insulting Daphiel, in particular, since she was a divine servant of Pofmis… All of it had been leading up to this, an attempt to drive Daphiel to attack before she could think. All without breaking any of the rules or agreements he had made for himself.

Still, she didn’t have time to think about such things. She and her sisters swam together, moving through the water-filled corridors, careful not to get too close to the obsidian blades. They could stay submerged long enough for what they needed to do, though not much longer. Even without the shadow hands, they could not afford to linger, or get distracted.

The shadow hands. Even as they kept moving, Lailah had noticed something disturbing. The shadow hands weren’t appearing as often this time through. Not around them, at any rate. She knew the Demon wouldn’t be giving them a free pass, not when the hands had caught them each of the four previous times. If they weren’t appearing around them, then…

She cursed. They had to be targeting Lily! If she was too slow, she’d get caught, and they would be doomed. If she wasted too much of her stamina, she might not be thinking straight, and could make a mistake, and they would be doomed.

Lailah signaled to her sisters using the sign language they had developed for when working underwater or without magic, telling them to hurry. They were almost to the final puzzle. That would unlock the switch on the pedestal, and they’d be able to drain the water. They were almost there!

They spotted the last puzzle. Daphiel grit her teeth, and grabbed on to the two handles, doing her best to press them down. Electric current began seeping into the water around them, its numbing burning too weak to do more than annoy the three of them at the moment. But they knew it would get worse before it got better.

Quickly, she and Sabrael began working on the puzzle. It was an old logic exercise, with the five disks and three poles. It was a test well known even on Bluemountain. All they needed to do was move the disks from the left pole to the right one, one at a time, without placing a larger disk on top of a smaller one. Normally, it would be of little issue to complete. However, underwater, forced to hold their breath, and not being able to use magic? That was slowing the process. And the electricity was continuously growing stronger.

Lailah forced her self to slow down, to not rush. She followed Sabrael’s lead, moving the disks as the High Magus directed. She tried not to think about how much longer she could hold her breath, or about how the electricity was starting to make it hard to move her fingers like she wanted to. Finally, the last piece went on.

(Lily POV)

The shadow hands kept coming faster! Shi was practically sprinting from one side of the chamber to the other, desperate to try and keep them from catching hir. Shi was gasping for air now, a stitch in hir side hampering hir ability to breathe or think clearly. All shi could do was focus on running, and looking at the pedestal, waiting for it to open.

And then, without warning, the cover rolled back, revealing the buttons! With a yell of triumph, shi leapt to the pedestal, and planted hir feet in the outlines on the floor. Shi was so tired, that shi momentarily forgot that there were two buttons, red and green.

Red and green. They meant something. Shi was sure that they meant something, but she couldn’t remember. Green means go. She pressed the green button.

SHUNK!

Dimly, Lily was aware of pain shooting through hir body, and the fact that shi was no longer touching the ground with hir feet. Shi tried to look down, but the metal rod sticking up through her skull prevented that. Metal pole? Oh.

Well, at least it was quick…

Epilogue – Acolytes

The fires burned brightly in the altar room of the Black Temple. This was no longer my seat of power in the dungeon, but it remained the center for my growing church. Luxuriously, I sat naked upon my throne, overlooking the black stone altar. All around me, my minions were arrayed, looking towards the scene with anticipation.

One by one, the twenty-six members of Jadesins PMC stepped out of portals and into the firelight, bare-skinned and unashamed. Each one looked on in wonder at the scenery of the Black Temple. They were not the first to be awed by the dark wonders offered here, and I knew they would not be the last.

Sheila was the last of her people to exit the portals. I could see her looking around, examining each of her people in turn. No doubt looking to make sure that they had passed their trials, as she had.

I was impressed by this group. Even the clerk with the overseer class had triumphed in his trial. I had expected it of the former military types. The soldiers who had come to my dungeon had taken more abuse than anyone before they broke. But even they had been normal soldiers, looking to just do a job that they were ordered to do. They weren’t operators who wanted to take destiny by the throat and claim it as their own.

But the clerk, the office manager? I was surprised by him. The trial was the same for him as it had been for all of them. He had to face off against reflections of himself embodying his own failings. But the quiet man had actually been the first to get through the trials. The really surprising thing was that he picked up the Sociopath title while undergoing the trial. I guess that bit of self-reflection had finally torn through any last shreds of empathy or denial he had, and the Overseer had decided to truly embrace what he was.

To put it bluntly, I couldn’t be more delighted with these people who had come to dedicate themselves to me. These warriors and managers had come to me, as a group, because they saw me as a rising power, and wished to hitch themselves to my star. As a group, they had purged themselves of doubt and weaknesses that could hold them back. I was more than pleased at this.

I raised my hand, and said, “Once more we gather here, as those who have proven themselves worthy of joining my inner circles seek to undergo the final step. All of you have proven yourselves. Each of you has faced the weaknesses that held you back, that could be used to undermine you, and you have not been found wanting. Each of you has grown for the knowledge, each in your own way.”

“The trials you faced were the trials of purification, to reveal to you and to all the truth of who you truly are. Few can accept their true nature. They hide behind masks of righteousness and speak hallowed words, but they deny who they are, and give up their true potential so that they can believe themselves ‘good’.”

“You have thrown away the veils that covered your eyes, looked hard upon the truth, and accepted it. You are stronger now than you ever were before. No, not because this has somehow given you greater power than you had. You are stronger now because you no longer deny yourself. You no longer hold yourself back, hampering your own efforts with the restraints of misguided morality.”

“But now, it is time for the final rites, your baptism into the church of desire and domination. With this, you shall be joined to the Church of Kuronoth, and be able to call upon some measure of my power, according to my class, and those of the classes around you. The rites of lust and blood now begin!”

Looking at my new recruits, I smiled widely. “Each of you look upon the slaves that ring this room. Two score of them have been provided for you, both male and female. Choose one, and take your pleasure from them. Their wants, their needs, do not matter. They exist only to pleasure you. Take them, and then, in the heat of climax, carve out their still beating heart and consume it.”

As I expected, Sheila was the first of the new recruits to step forward, but Phil, the Overseer, was only a half-step behind her. That started off a wave, as all the acolytes began moving. Each chose a slave to their liking, and soon the moans of pleasure and the sights and smells of bodies coming together filled the circle of firelight.

The orgy was in full swing all around the chamber. Sheila, at the center of it all, had dragged a strong, well-built human male and slung him out across the altar. Tossing dignity to the side, she impaled herself upon his dick, using him as little more than a living dildo, with no care for anything but her own pleasure, her own needs. As it should be.

I made sure to mold my followers so that they would all think about their own needs, and ensure they were met. The needs of others were a tool to exploit, to twist them to your will and manipulate them into doing what you wished them to do. I was not against fulfilling the needs of others, of course, but such needs should always be manipulated, so that giving people what they needed benefited you in some way. Just like how my followers found a path to meet their needs, their desires, through me, and, by doing that, bound themselves to me and gave me power.

One by one, the cries of pleasure were turned into roars of triumph, and screams filled the air, only to be silenced. Blood covered each of them as they tore the heart from their victims. Sheila’s eyes met mine as her teeth ripped a piece of her toy’s heart off, and she swallowed it. She had not even bothered dismounting him before she began the feast.

I nodded my approval, even as I felt the link form between myself, and my new worshipper. Using that connection, I sent her a feeling of pride and pleasure intertwined. You shall bow to none but me. You shall serve none but me. You lead your people, in my name. In the end, they are mine, as you are mine. And I look after those who are mine.

The look on her face melted into blissful pleasure as she heard the words of her new god in her mind, and she began tearing into the heart with newfound gusto. I nodded once again. My new acolytes would serve me well.

Charsheet

Name:

Kuronoth

Race:

Dungeon Core

Class:

Mystic

Profession:

Slave Master

Level:

16

XP:

129864/136000

MP:

13480/13480

MP Regen:

15.1 per hour

Anima:

1476

Evolution Tree(s):

Plant

Slime

Human

Titles:

The Original, Willbreaker

Attributes

INT

82

WIS

56

CHA

82

Luck

56

Note: When manifesting Avatar, STR = CHA, DEX = INT, CON = WIS.

0 Attribute points remaining

Boons

Manifest Avatar

Varied Creatures

Second Tree

Abilities

Racial Abilities

Found Dungeon (Locked while dungeon established)

Dungeon Management

Spawn Monsters

Class Abilities

+10 INT

+2 INT per level

+100% to MP recovery rate

+25% chance to rare variants of monsters from your Evolution Tree(s) being spawned normally.

+10% to experimentation on creatures within your Evolution Tree(s).

You may now experiment on creatures not within your Evolution Tree(s).

Profession Abilities

+10 CHA

+2 CHA per level

Slave Brand – Gain the ability to enslave creatures, binding them to your dungeon.

Slave Breeder – Slaves treated as though they are part of your Evolution Tree(s), regardless of race.

Dungeon Slaves – Slaves of your dungeon gain the ability to respawn like Named monsters in your dungeon if slain.

Skills

Racial Skills

Respawn – Monsters cost 400% of normal for initial summoning, but respawn after 1 hour for no MP cost. Named Creatures respawn with their memories intact.

Trapmaking – Able to create mechanical traps to confuse, injure, maim, and kill intruders.

Name Monster – Name a monster, giving it extra abilities, and potentially turning it into a boss or miniboss monster. You may only have as many Named monsters as   0.5*(Level + Number of floors), rounded up.

Loot Drops – Autogenerate loot from slain monsters, to include coins and gear appropriate to monster level.

Resource Nodes – Randomly spawn nodes of ores and herbs in your dungeon catalogue suitable for floor level.

Dungeon Quests – Generate quests for intruders to complete within your dungeon.

Climate Control – Able to change the environment on individual floors regardless of the conditions on other floors or the outside world.

Enlightened Monsters – Able to normally spawn sentient creatures of ‘Enlightened’ species (such as humans) as dungeon creatures after both a male and female of the species dies within the dungeon. Sentients start at Level 1, and choose their class normally. (Costs 2 Skill Points)

Class Skills

Dungeon Magic – Able to set triggered spell traps or other conditional spells. Monsters in dungeon more likely to gain magic abilities.

Instanced Dungeon – Able to maintain separate ‘copies’ of your dungeon, so that each party that enters the dungeon is placed in their own instance. Instances reset at midnight after the party leaves the instance. MP costs for creating rooms doubles.

Arcane Sight – Identify magic items and auras that you see. Affected by Stealth.

Mixed Instance – Requires Instanced Dungeon. Can mix certain areas to have instances interact with eachother.

Artificer – Create magic items to use as loot or as part of the dungeon.

Random Labyrinth – Labyrinth floors have random layout that changes every 12 hours. Creatures bound to the dungeon never get lost in Random Labyrinth zones.

Dungeon Law – Requires Dungeon Magic. Establish Dungeon Laws which provide magical effects on certain floors or in the dungeon as a whole.

Profession Skills

Taming – Better able to calm emotional slaves, and prevent aggressive slaves from inciting rebellion. Also known as breaking or domesticating.

Appraise Value – Able to see the level, race, class, and profession of potential slaves, giving you an idea of their potential value. More information provided at higher ranks.

Courtesans – Slaves designated as Courtesans gain +1 CHA per level.

Combat Slaves – Slaves designated as Combat slaves gain +1 CON per level.

Bargaining – Useful for arranging the best deal when buying or selling slaves. Also useful for all types of pacts or negotiations.

Career Planning – Able to guide slaves’ development to certain goals, automatically know conditions required to meet those goals.

Enhancement – Able to train slaves’ physical abilities to their peak, and perhaps even beyond with special training methods.

General Skills

Seduction – Enhances your natural charm and ability to bend your targets to your desires.

Enchantment – Able to enchant items.

Weaponsmith – Able to make and design weapons

Armorsmith – Able to make and design armor

Divine Magic – Able to cast Divine Spells. Strength and power of the spells depends on Wisdom. Gain access to spells based on domains and alignment.

Alchemy – Able to create alchemical potions.

Physicist – Increases understanding of physics, allows more complex traps.

Monster Breeder – Gives the knowledge necessary to breed monsters in the most effective ways to encourage certain attributes.

Chemist – Increases understanding of chemistry, allows more complex traps.

Biologist – Increases understanding of biology, allows more complex ‘experiments’.

0 Skill points remaining

Available Skills

Racial Skills

Appraisal – Learn Name, Species, Level, and Titles of intruders to your dungeon. May be blocked by certain effects.

Mana Conversion – Able to convert MP to Anima at a ratio of 100:1.

Class Skills

Monster Index – Gain knowledge of species observed in your dungeon. Dungeon monsters do 10% more damage to species in the Monster Index.

Summoned Monsters – Can set up triggers to automatically summon some monsters in special circumstances.

Dungeon Resurrections – Able to create shrines where fallen creatures can be resurrected for a price. (Costs 2 skill points)

Profession Skills

Training – Able to enhance a slave’s learning speed for skills, or teach the slave new skills.

Protected Bondage – Slaves gain Mystic Armor equal to their level while they have your brand. Stacks with worn armor. (Costs 2 Skill Points)

General Skills

Demonologist – Provides an understanding of Demons, their language, and their abilities.

Legal Knowledge – Provides enhanced understanding of the laws of the land, including jurisprudence and precedent.

Contractor – Increased ability in making contracts, and in closing (or building in) loopholes in those contracts.

Sadist – Inflicting damage and suffering on a sentient heals you for a portion of the damage dealt.

Psychologist – Gain understanding of Psychology, allowing for increased use of psychological attacks.

Psywar Specialist – All psychological attacks are 2x as effective. (Costs 2 Skill Points)

Further Reading

Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):

Frozen Soul –

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT

Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):

Volume 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Complete 1-20 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R5CHNNP

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):

Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL

Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):

Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):

Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

Dark Fate (Postapocalyptic GameLit):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086S35WZ6

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T