Dungeon Master 8

by Eric Vall

  I came around my father’s fallen body and grabbed him by the shoulder. I pulled him up into a sitting position as I loomed behind his back. Very few deities remained on the battlefield, and those who remained turned and saw their leader broken in front of me. Cries of anguish rose into the air as I brought Allagis down and around my father’s neck.

  I pressed the blade to his throat as I examined each of his followers. They were bloodied, some of them missing body parts and some crawled across the floor, attempting to escape my ferocious women.

  With my free hand, I gripped my father’s hair in my fist and pulled back his head, and a few of the gods watching gasped in horror.

  “Look at him!” I screamed as I jerked Chirus’s head back. “Look into his eyes! These are the eyes of a god who has been overpowered! Chirus, the god of victory has tasted defeat for the first and final time! The heavens have fallen, and those who remain will die along with it!”

  “You were nothing but a bastard child I should’ve killed from the moment you were--” Chirus struggled out, but I wasn’t listening as I swung Allagis inward, and his words became nothing but the sound of gushing blood.

  Chirus’s headless corpse toppled forward onto the marble floor and crimson blood pooled around him. I stepped over his body and lifted his severed head high for all to see. As I came closer, I dropped Chirus’s head to the ground, and it landed with a moist thump, rolling over once to reveal his shocked expression.

  I’d won, the heavens were dying before my eyes, and all the remaining gods would be gone too. Annalise screamed as she ripped Bloodscale free from a corpse and lifted the blade high into the air. Light pulsed all around her, and her sisters, bolstered by her victory cry, leaped at the twenty gods still standing.

  At the front of the hall, all the Akalongs and Qianlong’s grouped together, and I moved my eyes over them. Each dragon moved over a deity, and ripped its head from its shoulders, making sure that each any every god was dead. I plucked their powers from the air and absorbed them into my chest as I strode forward through the sea of corpses. Bellum, Domor, Malsumis, and Ruituri stood near the entrance into the grand hall and watched me move about the room quietly.

  I examined each of the bodies in search of one goddess in particular, but no matter how much I looked, Eris was nowhere in sight. The goddess that gave me life and raised me wasn’t here, and I turned at a loud sound behind me. The far wall of the grand hall cracked and then crumbled almost gently. The stones moved and came apart at the seams as orange light pulsed through the cracks.

  “What the hell is that?” Rana whispered to my left and then phased into view as the fox glanced up at me.

  “Gods,” I murmured back in a hushed voice. “Three of them.”

  “Do we need to fight them?” Annalise asked as she bent her knees and brought up both swords.

  “No…” Haruhi gasped as she took a step forward toward the orange light.

  The hole in the wall widened up, and it took me a few seconds to realize I wasn’t looking out into the gods' realm behind, but the spirit realm. Three thin silhouettes stepped through the portal, and the middle one stopped for a moment. The faceless being turned and gestured for someone to follow. A fourth silhouette appeared from the portal, this one I did recognize. I’d planned to kill her too along with all the other gods, but it seemed that someone had already beaten me to it as Eris floated forward into the light.

  Her short black hair came to her shoulders, just as I remembered it and from behind me, Malsumis drew back. Neither of us spoke as we laid our eyes on our true mother, and the spirit of Eris blinked softly. The goddess brought up her hands and pressed them to her pale chest as she looked between Malsumis and me. I could feel the pain and regret beat from her being, but she stayed silent.

  “The fighting is over,” the middle god spoke as the three of them came closer. “Lay down your weapons, we have no interest in fighting.”

  I knew who they were despite never meeting them in person. These were the three creators, the three gods that brought the earth and the heavens into existence. My minions, except for Haruhi, still hadn’t realized who these three were and held their weapons even tighter.

  “How do we know you’re not lying?” Annalise roared as she slammed the blades of her swords together menacingly.

  “We have never wanted to fight,” Nirankar whispered as he stepped into the light and we took in his ethereal appearance. “Not even when we created the worlds.”

  All three of the gods looked as if they could be triplets. Their snow-white hair reached their chins, and their eyes were blindingly blue. Their skin was smooth and youthful as they opened their arms to us. They wore matching sets of gold and emerald green armor but held no weapons in their scabbards.

  “Yield,” I stated firmly to my women brandishing their weapons. “These are the three creators, the ones Haruhi told us about.”

  “You are correct,” Akal smiled as he bowed his head to me. “We are the sole creators of everything around you. We built this place and molded the earth with our bare hands.”

  “Your Master holds our holy weapon in his hands,” Alakh Niranjan spoke as he gestured toward Allagis. “The one we created for this purpose.”

  “Then why are you here if you don’t want to fight?” Morrigan questioned, the emerald fire slowly fading from her hands.

  “You’ve served our purpose, we are here to congratulate you,” Nirankar uttered as he raised his white eyebrows in surprise. “This is what we always intended: the Allagis to destroy all the gods.”

  “I do not mean to offend, Kazama,” Akal stated as he stepped forward. “The creation of the gods was a mistake, and we’ve paid for it for thousands of years.”

  “We created the gods to be guides for the mortals, we loved the humans so much that we did everything for them, even giving them the companionship of the gods,” Nirankar whispered sadly, and Alakh Niranjan placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “We created the Allagis and gave it to the humans in case one day the gods turned against them just as we believed they would,” the third god spoke as his expression hardened. “And it happened, and there was nothing we could do to stop it from the spirit realm. We hoped that the mortals would rise up against the gods and here you are, a god, surrounded by mortals. You’ve killed the gods, and we thank you for it.”

  “Wait…” Haruhi murmured as she rushed forward with her paws tucked to her chest. “Y-you’re dead?”

  Akal nodded once and then rested his blue eyes on me. The gods studied me for a few passing minutes with Eris standing behind them.

  “Your father’s work, of course,” Alakh Niranjan spoke in his light, airy voice. “The same with your mother, Eris. He saw the changes we worked together to create in the gods’ realm and had us killed. There was no hope for the heavens until you came along, Kazama. Chirus’s reign of terror has ended, and you will usher in a new age. We thank you for that.”

  “We offer up our powers to you,” Alakh grinned as he spread out his arms and four orbs of power floated toward me.

  One from each of the three creators and the last, from Eris. Tears watered in our mother’s eyes as she took a single step forward. The last time I had seen her was in the Underworld, and I wondered when the last time Malsumis had laid eyes on her. I let the three creators’ powers absorb into my chest, but as Eris’s reached me, I cupped it in my hand.

  I turned and slowly walked toward my brother. Malsumis shook his head vehemently as he stared down at the orb, but I raised my free hand.

  “Take it,” I murmured as I stood directly in front of him and held out our mother’s power. “It is yours, you deserve it for your valor today.”

  “Kazama,” Malsumis boomed in his oaky voice, and the orb of wine-colored energy floated toward him. “My brother.”

  The sphere of our mother’s power pressed into his chest, and Malsumis closed his eyes for a moment. My brother gripped my shoulder as he smiled and bowed his head to me respectfully
.

  “Thank you, brother, from the bottom of my heart,” Malsumis whispered as he let his hand drop.

  “What will you do now?” Alakh Niranjan asked with a tilt of his head.

  I spread my arms wide, and each of my minions huddled in close beside me. I felt their powers pulse from deep inside their bodies and sensed out the children growing in their wombs. I loved them and would take care of them for the rest of eternity. A sly grin spread over my lips as I gripped Allagis tighter in my hands and replied easily.

  “Whatever I want. I am the ruler of everything.”

  Epilogue

  I was the Lord and Master over every living thing from then on. No man nor god could oppose me, and the four that lived remained by my side as valued councilmembers. I had everything I wanted, my women, the land, and all the countries that spanned over the earth. I was the law incarnate, but simultaneously above all laws.

  Galencia was razed with no remaining Holy Order buildings left in sight. My women and I, along with the help of all of my armies, built a new, grander palace over the bones of the mages. There was no country or land where my power didn’t reach and each continent I took over blossomed and grew. Every lord and king fell to me, giving up their riches and titles over to me without qualms.

  We named the new capital where Galencia had once been Seig, and I moved each of my regents close by. I needed these men at my fingertips as we continued on making changes for the betterment of their cities.

  Before long, each of my women gave birth to healthy babies, and it seemed as if my newly made world was complete. We raised them within the walls of our new castle, and I sat back, my weapons put away and watched them grow peacefully.

  My minions laid down their weapons for the last time after our battle against the gods, and we never had to pick them back up again. There was no need to. After all, we’d taken down the heavens, so no mortal man would dare come against my wives or me ever again.

  I sat in a high back leather chair in my study, my eyes trained out of the window toward the docks below. I smiled to myself as loud voices came outside the door behind me, I could tell they were attempting to whisper, but they weren’t doing it very well.

  “No, you do it,” a young boy hissed through a mouthful of food. “I told you already I wasn’t going to do it.”

  “Fine,” A decisive female voice snapped, and a soft knock came at the door.

  I turned in my chair and then rose from it as I strode across the wooden floor.

  “He’s coming!” another feminine voice squeaked, and the scampering of feet reached my ears.

  I placed a hand on the molded gold door handle and then swung it open. Before me stood six teenagers, their faces pale, and their eyes wide as they stared up at me for a few passing seconds. I kept my expression neutral as I gazed down into each of their faces.

  The lead girl stared back at me with chocolate brown eyes, her light brown hair braided down her back. This young woman was tall and lean as she assuredly strode toward me.

  “Isabella, what is it?” I questioned as I looked deeply into Annalise and I’s seventeen-year-old daughter’s eyes.

  “Hey, hey, hey!” A young redhead fox-girl cried as she elbowed through their mass. “You know what today is!”

  “Don’t shout,” A cerulean-haired boy groaned as his icy blue eyes cut into his sister.

  “May I remind you, I’m an old man,” I chortled as I crossed my arms over my chest and toyed with them. “My memories run away sometimes, tell me what today is.”

  My children all reacted in different ways. Isabella sighed and then rubbed her temples as Hotdog stamped his foot. The redhead, Lottie, gave me a roguish grin as her red tail whipped behind her. Murai, Heijing’s son, settled his blue eyes on my face and scratched his cheek sheepishly. The white-haired Mizu smiled shyly at me as she fiddled with her black robes as her bookish-looking sister, Hester stood closely by her side.

  Each of these children had been those in their mother’s bellies when we fought against the gods. Their godly powers pulsed from them as they stared up into my face. They were born one after another, first starting with Lottie. She was my first child to enter into this world, and she was so much like her mother from the very start. I leaned against the doorframe and raised my eyebrows as I waited for one of them to speak.

  “It’s the eve of our eighteenth birthdays,” Isabella started in a calm, persuasive tone. “You know, there was a thing you promised us on our eighteenth birthdays.”

  “We haven’t forgotten!” Lottie cried as she lifted a very familiar elven dagger into the air.

  “Put that down!” Hotdog cried as he clutched his black tail between both hands. “You’ll hurt someone!”

  “I’ve been training! Watch this!” the fox brought her arm holding the dagger back over her shoulder and moved to launch it forward into a wall.

  “Lottie,” I warned in a deep voice and the redhead’s ears folded flat against her ears. “What have we told you? Not in the palace.”

  “Fiiiine,” Lottie grumped as she dropped her arm.

  “Ahem,” Isabella cleared her throat pointedly. “Are you going to take us or what?”

  I examined each of them for a moment. My children wore pristine armor over their bodies and in their hands, held weapons that I recognized from my past. I smirked and nodded once as I stood to my full height. They were fully prepared for this before they had even asked and, of course, I hadn’t forgotten the promise I’d made to them long ago.

  “It looks as if you are ready,” I smiled as crossed the room and lifted Allagis from its holder on the wall. “Then let’s head out.”

  I led the group of six teenagers through the castle and out into the courtyard. In the garden not far away, I spied all of my women sitting together in the grass. Once I came into sight, they jumped to their feet and hurried over. Annalise was the first to reach me despite her pregnant belly slowing her down a bit.

  The high queen wrapped her arms around me and peppered my cheeks with kisses. She pulled away and then looked over the crowd of teenagers with a spark in her eye.

  “Ah, I see,” Annalise nodded as she patted Hotdog and Murai on the top of their heads. “Finally got the guts to ask him to take you.”

  “Don’t go very far, okay?” Carmedy cried as she wrapped her arms around each of the children. “If you get scared, come back immediately.”

  “Mom,” Hotdog groaned as he begrudgingly hugged the feline back. “We’ve been practicing, I can make potions almost as good as you now.”

  “I know, I know but I’m your mother, and I worry!” the petite alchemist giggled as she gave her son one last kiss on the cheek.

  “Go with strength,” Heijing uttered to her son as she took his hands into hers. “Make your ancestors proud, they are watching.”

  “I will, mother,” Murai stated in his monotone voice.

  “What are you gonna do?” Rana shouted at her daughter as the fox’s fists pounded the air.

  “Kick ass!” Lottie muttered.

  “I can’t hear you!” Rana cried as she cupped her fluffy ears.

  “Kick some ass!” My redheaded daughter shouted with a red face.

  “I think they are ready,” Morrigan smiled softly as she stood on my left. “They’ve been training for months.”

  “It’s the last remaining dungeon on earth,” I chortled as I wrapped my arms around my women. “And they’re our children, they’re destined to do well.”

  As my children and I set off together into the woods toward the last known dungeon, I burned this memory into my brain. This was what I’d worked so hard for, this very moment. I had everything I had ever wanted in the world, my women, the country, and finally, my heirs. With them and their mothers, we would reign on into eternity.

  I had escaped my dungeon, purged the earth of the gods, and now, it was my turn to show my children how this all came to be. We tramped through the forest as a group, our weapons held loosely in our hands, and I gazed
over each of my offspring. I was happy and overjoyed to be showing them what their parents had done so long ago before we conquered the heavens and the earth.

  The old gods were dead, and finally, I was lord and god over all.

  The End.

  End Notes

  Thank you for reading Dungeon Master 8! It’s been a fun series, and I’m glad you all stuck with me till the last book. If you loved the book, please leave me a review right here.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Eric Vall