The mage saluted. "Yes, I will use Auto-map to keep track of our progress," she reassured the thief. Auto-map was Zefina's personal creation. It will trace her movement on a piece of parchment that she cast the spell on. As she walks through the maze, the features of the labyrinth will be added automatically to the map.
Zefina took out the parchment and cast the spell: "I walk freely, I walk cautiously, I walk methodically, I walk while mapped." The parchment glowed a faint neon color for a moment. When she was done with the spellcasting, she nodded at Tita.
The thief cautiously entered the corridor. She noticed that the walls were ten feet tall but the ceiling was much much higher. This meant that, if she became desperate, she could climb the wall and stand on top to get an idea of her location within the maze and whether the exit or a monster was nearby.
That being said, Tita did not feel the need to take that drastic step and possibly incur the dungeon keeper's wrath because this could be considered cheating by Markos. For now, the thief was willing to play along and see how the maze will develop.
Tita was pleased to see that the corridor she was walking through was ten feet wide. This would allow the party to fight at full strength against whatever monsters they encounter. If, on the other hand, the width was wide enough for only single-file movement, the tanker would have remain in front and spellcasters would be hardpressed to avoid hitting Ouwanda during a fight.
The corridor ended at an intersection which Tita marked mentally as left, middle, and right. She turned around and looked at her party. "Which way?" she asked.
Aabroa stepped forward and cast a spell to Detect Life. To her surprise, there was none within her spell's range of 50 feet. "I'm not getting any sign of life," she reported.
"Let's take the middle path," Ouwanda decided. The fighter often chose the middle path because, in her experience, it was usually the best approach to reaching the end of the floor.
"Middle it is," Tita replied and continued forward. While she walked through the corridor, she was actively scanning for traps. But the walls were very smooth and her sixth sense did not trigger at all. Thus, she was highly confident that the dungeon keeper intended this floor to be strictly a maze. Of course, the one platinum question was how long this labyrinth was.
The party went through two more intersections, took the middle path each time, and finally reached a dead end.
"Let's turn around and go back to the intersection," Ouwanda ordered.
As the party walked past Yozka and Sin, who were following as silent observers, the explorers ignored the two. They realized that neither woman will offer any hint as to the correct path out of the maze. In addition, the adventurers were sympathetic and even pitied the two for being bound to the dungeon core. Therefore, the adventurers did not wish to get the servants in trouble by asking the two for their help.
"Let's take the right corridor," Ouwanda ordered when the party reached the next intersection.
It turned out the right path led to another dead end. But that conclusion was revealed after the party passed through another 100 feet of corridors. In other words, the dungeon keeper had made the party waste a lot of time checking for traps in a corridor which was a dead end.
The party retraced its steps back to the intersection and took the left corridor. Again, it resulted in a dead end. An hour later, the party returned to the first intersection they had encountered. The explorers had checked all the corridors in the second and third intersection; they all led to dead ends.
"Let's take a lunch break," Ouwanda ordered. The party leader saw that everyone was tired from the fruitless search for an exit out of the floor.
The party members immediately sat down to rest their aching feet. They passed around rations (cured sausage, hard bread, nuts, and dried berries) and ate silently.
The party leader walked over to Zefina and sat down. "Can I look at your map?" Ouwanda requested.
The mage passed the parchment to the warrior.
"How long have we walked so far?" Ouwanda asked while looking at the map.
"I would say almost four miles," Visrow answered.
"And we're practically back where we started," Tita grumbled while shooting daggers at Yozka and Sin.
"At least it's been quiet," Aabroa noted. "I've been casting Detect Life as we walked and I have not detected any sign of life unless Markos has undead minions on this floor."
"Don't give that bastard any ideas!" the thief yelled at her.
Ouwanda put a hand on the thief's right shoulder. "Relax."
Tita rudely shrugged the hand off her shoulder. "I think we should turn back," she said while staring at the wall.
The rest of the party was startled by the suggestion.
"Why?" Aabroa asked in a calm voice. As the oldest person in the group, she was the mother-figure who provided for the physical and mental well-being of the party members. Thus, everyone respected her.
The halfling took a drink of water from her waterskin and then answered the question. "The dungeons we've explored in the past don't have as many traps as this one. Nor are they as unforgiving and deadly. As the person responsible for finding the hidden traps, exploring this dungeon has been extremely nerve-wracking for me. And I'm afraid that sooner or later, I will miss a trap due to mental fatigue and we'll be reborn as Markos' minions for all eternity."
"Look, all of us here appreciate your hard work," the druid replied. "We understand that dungeon exploring is very dangerous work and each one of us is prepared to accept the risk of losing our life in this dungeon. All we ask from you is to give us a fair chance of beating the dungeon."
"Exactly," Ouwanda added and patted the halfling softly on her head. "Besides, you are the best trap finder in our guild. If you can't find and disarm all the traps, no one will blame you for it."
However, Tita's confidence had been shaken and these kind words had not restored her lost confidence. "Can I offer a compromise? If my suspicion is correct, this labyrinth will run for miles and we will not be able to find the exit by supper time. If that is the case, then we turn back."
Ouwanda hesitated in agreeing. The Guildmaster really wanted Ouwanda's group to beat the dungeon and reach the dungeon core. However, she was also cognizant of Tita's desire to leave this place. And no one else in the party had any trap detection skills. The party will move only as far as Tita could take them inside this dungeon. Thus, she had no choice but to agree. "Okay."
The halfling hopped to her feet and took the path on the right. In the end, her hunch proved to be correct and six hours later, the party still had not discovered the stairs leading to the next floor.
The party ate supper in silence. When they were finished eating, Ouwanda rose to her feet. She turned around and addressed Yozka. "We would like to end the dungeon exploration. Can your master arrange safe passage for us to return to the surface?" the party leader requested politely.
The human emissary nodded. Suddenly, the earth started shifting and shaking. When it stopped, a long, winding staircase was created at the party's current location.
Ouwanda stepped in front of the stairs and looked up. At the very end of the tunnel, she saw stars in the night sky! In other words, these stairs led directly back to the surface!
The veteran warrior turned around and bowed deeply to Yozka. "On behalf of the party, I thank you for allowing us to leave your dungeon, Master Markos." She then started climbing the long set of stairs and Tita quickly followed behind her.
"Please return to your house," Yozka called out. She had remained inside the dungeon. "Let's talk tomorrow."
"Okay!" Ouwanda yelled back.
When the last party member, Visrow, exited the dungeon, the dungeon keeper used Earth Work to remove the stairs.
"I'm really disappointed in that thief," Jessica said while shaking her head.
You went overboard with your maze, Markos replied.
"They walked out with 600 pieces of gold from your dungeon. I'm not sure you received you
r money's worth of entertainment from that adventuring group," the faery said. "By the way, are you sure you want to bring the dark elf into the dungeon? If she ever breaks free of your Compulsion, she could betray you and tell the other dark elves everything she learned about you," Jessica warned.
Oh, the Compulsion effect has already ended, the dungeon core replied nonchalantly.
"What!" The dungeon helper's wings fluttered angrily. "How can you put Yozka in danger like that?" she yelled.
Two reasons, Markos replied calmly. First, the other dark elves have already tried to kill Sin once, remember? When they saw the slave collar around her neck, they were outraged at the fact that Sin allowed herself to be enslaved. They even tried to kill her. She is now an outcast of the dark elves; she has nowhere else to go now. The other races fear dark elves with good reason and Sin will not find anyone who will treat her as nicely as Yozka.
"And what's the second reason?" Jessica's fear and anxiety were beginning to recede.
I think Sin is infatuated with Yozka. The dark elf may have feelings for the witch.
The faery tilted her head for a moment. She recalled the two had engaged in a heated, physical encounter inside the dwarven clan home. But Jessica thought that was a mere spur-of-the-moment thing and there were no deeper feelings involved between the two. "How can you be so sure about that?" she asked.
Just my life experiences. I've seen how relationships can develop.
"Including your own?" Jessica guessed.
Um, let's not talk about that. Instead, I want you to change the third floor and simplify the maze.
"Yes, master!" the dungeon helper saluted and flew out of the inner chamber. She decided not to argue with him.
Chapter 44
Face to Face with Sin
Once Jessica was gone, Markos requested, via the Hivemind, for Yozka to bring Sin to meet with the primary core. The dungeon keeper created a set of stairs leading directly to his Inner Chamber, just like the way stairs were created to permit the adventurers to return to the surface.
While Markos could have used Earth Work to move the two women through his domain, he wisely held onto that card just in case Sin proved to be treacherous. Since the slave had already witnessed the stairs being created, there was no point in avoiding to use it again to bring the slave to him.
The dungeon core had sent the faery away so that he could talk to the dark elf face-to-face, so to speak, without Jessica's unwelcome side comments. While it was true that Sin would unlikely be able to see his dungeon helper, there was still a risk of the faery's presence being detected. Her existence was another card in his hand that the former human wished to retain. Thus, Markos had to give something to occupy Jessica while he met with Sin privately.
Markos used his extrasensory perception over his dungeon to study every inch of the dark elf as Sin descended the steps. Her obsidian skin was a sharp contrast to her silvery moon-like hair. She had a womanly figure with strong curves headlined by her enormous bosom and an equally refined ass.
Markos had to admit that he enjoying watching her hot encounter with Yozka, who had a surprisingly frigid attitude toward relations with other women. Markos had no interest in influencing the duo's relationship either toward encouragement or discouragement.
He saw himself as an employer who was interested only in making the dungeon (aka the company) run smoothly. Thus, even though he COULD take control over Yozka's body, especially during another physical exchange with Sin, Markos did not wish to exploit Yozka in that manner.
The witch kept her mind silent while these thoughts ran through Markos' mind. She was able to read these thoughts via the Hivemind. Compared to Markos, Yozka was extremely adept at keeping her mind clear so that her true feelings could remain hidden from the collective.
Reading Markos' mind was like listening to gossip behind her back. It was somewhat amusing in its own way. After all, Yozka herself wasn't sure what to make of her growing relationship with Sin. Perhaps Markos will be able to offer a different perspective and help her decide what to do about it.
Yozka and Sin walked down the steps silently. However, their hands were joined the entire way down. Finally, they walked through the remaining three floors of the six-floor dungeon, through the 100 feet thick wall of stone, and stood before the Giant Nematode which had wrapped its body around the Inner Sanctum which housed the primary core.
Sin blinked her eyes in surprise at seeing the giant worm. As a creature of the Underdark, the nematode was a feared adversary of the dark elves because it could drill holes through their underground city of Ja'Rizz (or "The Nightflower" in the common tongue of Humans).
The nematode's outer skin was thick and as hard as stone. Even the finest blades of the dark elves could not penetrate it. And the gigantic size of the worm meant no room to avoid being squished in the confined space of underground tunnels. Thus, the dark elves had a healthy fear of nematodes. To see one with her own eyes, Sin's knees were starting to buckle with fear.
Yozka noticed the elf's reaction and squeezed her hand.
Sin took a deep breath and finally calmed her nerves.
The nematode noticed their presence and uncurled its body from the stone egg. It slithered in a circle around the two newcomers and imprisoned them. However, the worm took no hostile action toward them because it sensed the aura of her beloved on them. Finally, the giant worm lost interest and crawled away, releasing the two from captivity.
Once the protector had moved away, Markos created an opening to the Inner Sanctum.
Yozka immediately approached the opening and then stepped inside the Inner Sanctum.
Sin quickly followed her. When she felt the opening close behind her, her heartbeat quickened but Sin stood still. If the dungeon core wanted to hurt her, there was nothing that Sin could do to protect herself. A dungeon core was a god inside its dungeon. Even the divinity could not intervene. Thus, Sin was completely at the mercy of the dungeon core. She kneeled and prostrated herself with her forehead on the ground, which was surprisingly hot!
Markos tapped into the air element from the secondary core placed near the griffon nest atop the Bulddinger Mountain. Using Air Work, he created an illusion of himself as he had appeared in his former life as a human being. This was the first time he had shown his personal appearance.
"I bid you welcome, Sin," he said. By manipulating the air movement inside the Inner Sanctum, Markos was able to create sound; he used this ability to create speech. He dared not to connect with Sin's mind and risk contaminating the Hivemind. "Please rise," he ordered.
The slave returned to her feet. However, her gaze was still on the ground. As a slave, it was improper for her to look at the master's face.
"Look at me," he ordered.
Left with no choice, the dark elf lifted her chin and looked at him. She saw a plain looking man who was extremely short. The dark elves looked down at the short races and anyone who was a head shorter than them. Thus, a look of disgust involuntarily crossed Sin's face.
"Do I look so awful to you?" Markos asked with amusement.
"Of course not, master!" she gasped in panic. "It's just that you are short in height and among the dark elves, this is scorned," she explained.
"Really? What does your race do to your shorter members?" he asked.
"We sacrifice them to our Mother God, the Great Herra 'Zzla," Sin answered.
Markos shook his head. "I do not approve of this practice."
"It is what the Great Mother demands," Sin replied with a shrug.
"Sin, you are my property. You belong to me. Just like Yozka, whom you have feelings for. I realize that my Compulsion enchantment has dissipated by now. You could have run away if you wished. Yet, you chose to remain here. With her." Markos tilted his chin toward Yozka.
"Now, I like to think of myself as a firm but a reasonable person. I will permit you to pursue your own happiness. It is my sincere hope that Yozka will eventually return your feelings. But make no mistake. Y
ou are my property. Your obedience to the Great Mother has ended from the moment that the slave collar was placed around your neck."
"Yes, master." Sin bowed deeply to the illusion.
Markos turned toward Yozka, who had been observing in silence. "You are free to accept or reject Sin's feelings. I will not interfere."
"Thank you, master." The witch nodded slightly. As a member of the Hivemind, she had tremendous standing. Thus, she was a lesser among equals while Markos was greater among equals and therefore, Yozka did not need to kowtow to Markos.
"It's getting late in the hour. I invite you to spend the night here in my Inner Sanctum."
Yozka frowned at the implicit command while Sin blushed. The two realized that the dungeon core wanted a front row seat to their next illicit encounter.
The slave decided to give her master what he desired. Emboldened, Sin suddenly sneered at the dungeon core. With great proficiency, she discarded the dirty rags that covered her womanly charms. Without waiting for Yozka's permission, the dark elf started removing the human's clothing as well.
The witch glared at the illusion of Markos standing next to the primary core. Do something!
Nope.
You are a lecherous man!
Thank you!
Seeing that Markos will not interfere, Yozka allowed her clothes to be removed.
The slave started kissing her and pushed her tongue into the human's mouth. Sensing no resistance, Sin forcefully pushed her partner back until Yozka's bare back was pressed against the dungeon core itself.
Markos was surprised by Sin's aggressiveness but allowed the slave to continue. He was content to enjoy Yozka's pleasure through the Hivemind. He felt the hot flesh of her back pressed against his cold, diamond-like core. Now that he thought about it, his core had never been physically touched before.
As Sin's tongue roamed inside her partner's mouth, the dark elf pressed her palms against the softness of Yozka's womanly flesh. The slave enjoyed the role reversal of master and servant. She decided to go all the way while the master was watching.
CONQUEST: The Dungeon Core Gambit Book One Page 22
