by Dante King
“No, no, and no.”
“Then I pity him.”
“If you weren’t so beautiful, I’d have a hard time liking you, Lilith.”
The goddess smiled at me, and her wet tongue glistened in the light from her hand. “I am glad you like me. Your time of slaughter is at its beginning. Become the greatest, bathe the walls of your lair in blood, and harness the power of the realms.
“But do not spurn what I have given you. You must take advantage, for there are many secrets to uncover. I wish I could tell you all, but the Others have ears everywhere. I have seen things, and I believe you are a conqueror. In time, perhaps you shall even attempt to dominate me.” She paused, her scarlet irises turning hard for a moment. “I can assure you that would not end in your favour.”
“Isn’t it a bit early to say you’re not interested in me? We haven’t even gone on a date yet,” I joked.
“You are ambitious. That’s why I chose you. But you must not forget your place.”
Right. I was just a tiny ruby, looking at a puppet I could summon for an hour.
Not exactly an unstoppable warrior or a dungeon from the bowels of hell.
“Understood. So how do I control Von Dominus?”
“Infuse your consciousness with him. Like before, a mental command is sufficient.”
Instead of drawing into my jewel, I possessed my avatar with my soul. In a flash of light, the feeling of being a carved gem vanished, and I was staring through the elf’s eyes. Everything was brighter now I was benefiting from my avatar’s permanent night vision.
I tilted my head and rolled my shoulders to massage my new muscles. My gem floated in mid-air behind me, sparkling with crimson. The elf felt similar enough to my old form that any differences were so much more noticeable. My senses, particularly sight and hearing, were through the roof, and I could almost feel a piece of my soul reaching out to touch Lilith whenever I set eyes on her. I couldn’t wait to enthrall unsuspecting adventurers. Well, once I figured it out.
“That’s better,” I said. “Now I can actually appreciate you.”
Lilith’s mouth curved into that charming smile, oozing sensuality. “Come closer, Viceroy.”
Almost on their own, my feet started toward her. With a soft sigh, the demonic goddess slipped off her throne. Even with my new elf body, she towered over me.
I felt desire, pure and simple, swim through my blood. Her warnings, her power, none of it seemed to matter as I fell into her gaze. My lips touched hers, and I found myself in the best kiss of my life.
The goddess’ mouth was hot, almost boiling. She tasted of something sweet, smooth, sultry—strawberries and cream, maybe? Lilith moaned as her claws found my back and pulled me to her. My lean elf flesh felt her firm curves as the goddess kissed me hungrily. Her forked tongue slid behind my teeth, curled around my tongue, and squeezed. Heat and sweetness bathed my taste buds as she explored my mouth.
A pleased growl ripped itself free of my throat. My fangs extended, and the tips punctured her lips. Her mouth curved into a smile even as we kissed, and then she released me. Our lips parted, a droplet of blood trailing down her chin. Her tongue lapped up the crimson thread and retreated back into her mouth.
“I must go now,” Lilith said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stick around? Get to . . . know each other a little better?”
Maybe my Vampiric Expertise could grant me access to Lilith’s abilities. I would much rather fuck her than kill her. Hell, if I took the goddess right now, it could mean an incredible growth in power.
We’d already kissed, but I was more than willing to take things to the next level. A growth in power and sex with a beautiful goddess? I wasn’t about to turn that down. With the thought in mind, I moved closer to her. My gaze locked onto her eyes, and a surge of something only describable as magic burst free of my insides and seemed to penetrate her defenses. Her eyes widened, staring straight into mine, seeming to fall into my gaze . . .
I leaned in without breaking my hold. I could smell a sweet aroma as I drew nearer to the goddess. Lilith stopped me short with her finger pressing against my lips.
“The first kiss was my gift to you,” she said. “You will have to work for the second.”
Shit, didn’t I have her? What was going on?
My power over her flipped, and suddenly I was the one in the throes of a magical charm. I couldn’t move. My whole body felt petrified.
“You seem to be forgetting your place, Von Dominus. Remember, I can end you whensoever I wish. Do you understand?”
My neck couldn’t manage a nod, but the goddess released me anyway.
“I will forget that little attempt to use Charm on me.”
“I was just testing my new abilities.”
“Do not test them on me.”
“Understood. How about we move on?” I wanted to change the subject quickly, fearing what Lilith might do if she learned I wasn’t completely under her sway. I’d learned everything I needed to know from the slight fear in her eyes when I’d attempted to kiss her a second time.
As easy as it would be to grow strong enough to force myself upon her, I couldn’t do that. Even though this wasn’t Earth, I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to force women to my bed; I would use my vampiric charm to sweeten my advances, but would never completely enthrall a lady in order to sleep with her.
It would make my task a little harder, and my Vampiric Expertise would be more difficult to implement, but it was one way of maintaining my hold on my humanity.
“There is one thing I still need to provide you,” Lilith said. “A map. It will guide you through the caverns, to a place worthy of your dungeon. Somewhere high, perhaps?”
Acquired Item from Lilith (Infernal Goddess)!
Map (Shadow Crag)
The notification in my vision was replaced by a map with black ink brushed over an old parchment.
Before I could thank the goddess, her clawed hand, brimming with burning warmth, brushed the side of my face as she stared into my eyes.
“Goodbye, Von Dominus. Kill in my name.”
“I will,” I promised.
Lilith traced her finger through the air, and a doorway opened to her throne room. The smell of her filled my nostrils as she vanished through the portal.
The magical rift blinked out of existence and left behind the lingering smell of acrid sulphur. I was left in the darkness as I stared at my jeweled heart through elvish eyes.
Chapter Four
The cavern’s slick black walls glistened while water dripped from the stalactites and plopped into pools in the ground. The unpleasant scent of fungus filled my nostrils as the rift vanished. The smell of brimstone and Lilith’s sweetness vanished, leaving a gassy smell not unlike the aroma of a chemical plant.
Were it not for my avatar’s night vision, I would have had trouble seeing the rest of the chamber, but my eyes were able to make out every crevice and rivulet in the cavern’s walls. The entire cave illuminated every half second when my jewel pulsed like a heartbeat as it floated in mid-air, the size of a golf ball.
It would draw attention if I carried it through the rest of the mountain; a low-level avatar traveling with a bright red jewel would be perfect pickings for the ‘adventurers’ Lilith had mentioned, or her creatures. Given how tense things had just been, I wasn’t convinced she would keep them off me, or the gem.
My jewel rotated as it levitated, and I snatched it from the air. I could only estimate its weight, but it felt upward of two pounds.
The core pulsed in my hands, a deep red glow that flickered like a living, breathing being. I didn’t have pockets in my tunic or pants, so I attempted to slip the stone into my boots, but it wouldn’t fit while my feet were inside them. Walking around without any footwear was probably a recipe for disaster in these caverns, so I dropped the idea and turned my attention to my surroundings.
I glanced around the cavern for something to use as a satchel or sack but found nothing, just
rocks and dirt. I wasn’t interested in making a fashion statement, so I tore my sleeves from my tunic, tied the two sleeves together in the manner of a sling, and then made a satchel in the center with the loose bits of fabric.
Satisfied that my jewel fitted snugly inside the sling, I removed my tunic and wrapped the sling around my torso. My dungeon heart didn’t feel like it would slip out, so I put on my tunic again. My jewel’s rhythmic pulse was completely hidden behind the black fabric. There was a bit of a bulge, but at least it wasn’t out in the open. I thought about how much longer Von Dominus could remain outside my jewel, and a notification appeared over my vision.
Avatar Time Remaining:
00:54:52
When the timer ran out, Von Dominus would return to my jewel and the elvish avatar would remain there for twenty-four hours. I needed to determine a path through the caverns and get outside.
Lilith had made an underhanded suggestion that I advance to the mountain’s peak but had avoided being too obvious because of the watchful ears referenced earlier. I studied the map for a few seconds and determined that the only way to the top was by ascending a pathway on the mountain’s exterior.
First, I needed to get outside, so I outlined a route via passageways, caves, and chambers. There were only a few exits, the nearest being a good distance from my current location. I probably wouldn’t be able to reach it in a single hour.
I ventured through the hole in the wall and into the passageways. It didn’t take long to learn that the caverns of Shadow Crag weren’t all naturally formed; its passageways, corridors, and chambers had been hewn into the mountain, and dusty remnants of an ancient civilization lay scattered throughout the area.
I would have grabbed items as I passed, but they were all damaged and completely useless for either weapons or armor. I tended to grab as many as I could carry whenever clearing starter zones in games; amassing as much equipment as possible was easy currency at the nearest merchant, but in my current state, I didn’t have a magical inventory that could store my unequipped finds like Mary Poppins’ handbag.
I stuck to the course for the next thirty minutes until my avatar timer showed less than three minutes. The caverns slowly started to show more signs of past inhabitants, but I found none of their owners. I couldn’t smell or hear them. Most of the items were dusty, broken, or half-submerged in the rock face—nothing viable, nothing useful. I figured this mountain had undergone some kind of magical calamity causing the entire edifice to shift and change like goo. It was the only explanation for the objects I passed.
I still had a way to go before leaving Shadow Crag’s caverns, so I scanned the map for some safe place to stash my jewel. There were no labels to any of the caverns, chambers, passageways, or other landmarks inside the mountain complex, so I had to decide based only on the size of the rooms.
A small chamber on the map looked appropriate, and I made for it while keeping constant watch over my surroundings. Inside, I found cooked meat beside a blackened campfire. I held my breath and scanned the room for any sign of its inhabitant. My stomach groaned a little as I looked at the roasted morsel. It wasn’t quite a feeling of hunger pangs, but almost a nostalgia for the taste of food. I had to grab energy while I could since I wasn’t sure whether Von Dominus would be sustained while within my jewel; if he needed food, then I could stock up now on the creature’s roasted meat.
I ventured toward it and tore off a strip with my new fangs.
“Fuck!” I spat the roasted flesh onto the ground and rubbed my tongue against my palm.
The meat I had just chewed tasted like ash, and I wondered whether it was an inedible creature, or whether my Tainted Elf race had a penchant for bloodier meat. Probably the latter. I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking food for my avatar, making survival a whole lot easier.
Footsteps drew my attention, and I removed the jewel from its sling before quickly stuffing it into a cavity inside the wall. I grabbed a nearby stone and plugged the hole with it. The footsteps were growing closer, and a light humming noise joined them. I concentrated on my jewel until my consciousness broke away from my avatar.
Then I was back inside the dungeon’s heart, shrouded by complete blackness. I sucked the avatar back inside me, his body dissolving into a cloud of black dust and merging with my jewel. I felt more whole now that I’d absorbed Von Dominus.
For the first few hours, I listened to the creature inside the small chamber amusing itself with an incredibly annoying tune. The humming stopped, replaced by a nasal snoring. The hours ticked by while I waited for the creature to wake and then go about its business.
A peculiar sensation emanated from the minerals, as though they were calling, whispering, brushing against my jewelled edges. Tempting as it was, I didn’t entertain it. I couldn’t afford for the thing in the chamber to notice anything. So, I ignored it and made a mental note to investigate later.
The creature stirred from its slumber, and then I heard its footsteps as it left its lair. I waited a few more minutes to ensure it wouldn’t return and then commanded my avatar to appear. Black mist siphoned out from my jewel and collected itself into an outline of Von Dominus. The substance took on color as my elvish avatar materialized in its completed form.
I half-expected Von Dominus to be wearing a fresh tunic with both sleeves, but he had the same torn clothing from the day before. The sling hung around his shoulders, and a deadly gleam marked his dark eyes. He waited in stillness for my consciousness to fuse with his body.
I inserted my consciousness into the avatar, and suddenly I was peering through the elf’s eyes. The chamber became completely clear to me again as the darkness lifted from my senses. I flexed my hands and rolled my shoulders. It felt good to be outside my jewel, and I was ready for a hard day’s work. I removed the rock from the cavity in the wall and fished out the jewel. Once it was safely inside the sling, I scoured the room for some kind of weapon.
There was a small table behind the fireplace and a pile of what looked like discarded refuse. Half-chewed bones were stacked in a neat pile in front of a filthy blanket. The bones were too thin and brittle to use as a makeshift weapon, but the table’s legs could probably be broken down and used as clubs.
I lined the table up against a wall before slamming my foot onto the joint where the bench-top and leg met. Instead of snapping, the wood maintained itself against the blow. Shards of pain lanced up my foot and through my shin. Shit. Either it was too sturdy, or this avatar was too weak. One of the two.
I gritted my teeth, turned the table on its side, and sat on a leg. With my weight pressing down on the wood, I increased the pressure until it started to protest. The wood snapped with a loud crack and I reached down to pick up the item.
Acquired Item!
Makeshift Club
Rarity: Common
Damage Type: Physical
Seals: None
“You’re the fucker that ate me scrumptious din-dins yesterdee!” a nasal voice screamed.
I spun around to see a gnomish creature of about waist-height. Saggy yellow flesh hung over his round head, and sunken eyes suggested he really had needed the hunk of meat I’d spat out. The gnome’s lips peeled back to reveal blackened teeth sharpened to fine points. Tattered garments clothed his skeletal body, but he wasn’t carrying any weapons. He raised a hand filled with razor claws and snarled at me.
For the first time since Lilith, I felt excitement surge through my newly-spawned elf form.
“It was almost as bad as your fucking singing, pus-bag.”
“I’m going to carve you into tiny pieces, Mr. Elf Thief!”
“You gonna shut up while you do it?” I challenged him.
Although the gnome looked frail and weak, my fight with the table two seconds prior wasn’t exactly encouraging. And, as usual, my need to be theatrical had kicked in, and I had pissed him right off.
The gnome barrelled in a straight line toward me, and I dodged, lunging to the side. A squalid stench waf
ted from the creature as he passed. He skittered, scrambled, and tried to readjust. He found his feet in the end, face twisted into a furious glower, the edges of his blackened lips spotted with sores. Spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed.
Great. More noise. Just what I needed.
The gnome accelerated this time, and before he came within striking distance, he leaped for me, razor claws sweeping through the air. I caught the claws on my club and drove my fist into his unprotected stomach. He tumbled to the ground as the breath exploded from his lungs.
An unholy screeching noise somehow made its way out of the creature’s mouth again as it hauled itself up off the uneven stone floor. I didn’t give it a chance to get its bearings; with two hands, I slammed my club down onto his skull, the end of the weapon exploding into a cloud of splinters. The blow left the gnome dazed, and I sprang forward to finish the job.
The now-fractured end of my club was sharp, and I drove it through the gnome’s throat. Blood gushed from the punctured skin and sprayed the room with crimson. The yellow creature crumpled to the chamber’s floor, and a blackish substance drifted from his corpse. I realized I was panting and dragging air into my lungs from so little action.
The mist lingered for a moment, before gathering and accelerating into my chest, and I peered down at my jewel. It felt like it had grown, however minimally, maybe only a fraction of a millimeter. Still, it was noticeable. A throbbing heat came from the place where my jewel rested against my chest, and then warmth flooded my mind.
Von Dominus killed Frail Sulfur Gnome!
Infernal Essence +40
I was glad to see Lilith was keeping up her promise to integrate me into the world with video game menus. I’d earned a bunch of Infernal Essence from killing the Frail Sulfur Gnome but concentrating my mind did nothing to show me what I could do with it. Maybe she was still working out the . . . kinks in the program.
