Monster Core 2

by Dante King

  “Adventurers!” Abby’s voice echoed from within her gem. “Low-level divers, heading down the front stairs!”

  I’d been so consumed by the presence of new minions that I hadn’t even noticed the visitors. Well, I’d have to ensure they received the warmest of welcomes.

  “Abby and Bertha, I need you to hold back,” I said. “Don’t join the fight unless I give the command. I want to see what my newest minions can do.”

  My consciousness settled on my entrance steps and flowed over the adventurers. I observed their items and their physical forms. Ten muscle-bound half-orcs armed with basic straight swords, daggers, and carrying nothing of particular note. Just a few odds and ends—charms made from the bones of animals, travel packs, and probably a herbal remedy or two. Nothing infused with essence. They were leagues below the kind of prey I’d grown accustomed to.

  But I wasn’t disappointed. They were perfect fodder for my new minions.

  “Now, this is more like it,” a half-orc growled as he stepped over the threshold.

  They might’ve only been low-level grunts, but their deaths would please Lilith and give me access to more Infernal Essence. It was always better to have more than not enough.

  “The others were tiny,” another agreed. “This place looks perfect.”

  Others? My attention piqued at the mention of other dungeons. I highly doubted this rabble would have crossed into another realm, so they could only be referring to this one. But Lilith had said I was the only Infernal Dungeon. I would have to spare at least one of these cretins so that I could question him.

  The dungeon divers spread out after they descended the opening stairs and carelessly walked over the Antechamber’s polished obsidian floor. The first two half-orcs stepped inside the Paralysis Ring, and it exploded into life. Bright blue lightning swam into their bloodstreams before my Bladed-Fan Trap triggered.

  Curved blades launched out of the mouth of the Hellbat Statue and obliterated the first half-orc’s skull in a shower of gore. The second enemy twisted, but he was too slow, and another blade ripped through his thin tunic before his organs spilled across the crackling floor. The other three half-orcs dove away from the cleaver-blades as they rocketed around the room.

  I felt a strange new crackle in my dungeon and realized the Siphoning Stones were doing their job. Without my specific mental direction, the corpses of the dead half-orcs began to dissolve, and a surge of new essence flooded into the facets of my core.

  Time to give my new minions a test-run.

  The Lightning Imps surged through my new maze of tunnels and into the Antechamber. The air crackled with demonic energy as they dove toward these new invaders. A half-orc lunged forward and sliced at the nearest minion, but the Lightning Imp slipped past his blade and latched onto his leather armor. Electricity crackled, and the half-orc screamed as the the six-handed creature tore into him with shining claws. The unlucky half-orc staggered backward. The imp’s wing clipped his flailing steel. Red lightning blasted through the steel, and the half-orc was flung into the rest of my dungeon’s guests. An imp crashed into a half-orc and carved his throat open. Blood fountained over the floor, but the Siphoning Stones lapped it up with incredible speed as the imps continued to wreak havoc on the half-orcs.

  My new creatures were a force to be reckoned with. They had all the advantages of a Storm Sprite with none of the drawbacks of a suicidal Hellbat. These new imps couldn’t throw streams of lightning like Abby could, but their charged touch and extra sets of hands made them a nightmare to the schmucks who’d stepped into Zagorath.

  A half-orc hacked a wing off an imp and started to grin, but my minion latched onto his arm and shoulder like a spider before it drove its claws into him. A swipe, and the adventurer’s eyes were useless. Another orc charged after a wheeling Lightning Imp and caught himself in my Paralysis Ring. Blue energy rippled out of the floor and pinned him in place.

  Three imps raced toward the ensnared enemy. This trio was more predatory, tougher, and had better offensive potential than my other minions. Claws rent armor, and lightning cooked flesh.

  The imps had turned seven of their number into mince in the space of a minute.

  The final three half-orcs glanced at each other, their piggy eyes wide with fear as they did their best to avoid my imps. My guests were going to run, but I still needed at least one alive. I couldn’t guarantee my imps wouldn’t kill them all, so I called them back into the vents. It took a large amount of willpower to recall the minions, but in a few seconds, they all returned.

  “Where the bloody hells did they go?” An adventurer peered into the vents as he applied pressure to his bleeding arm.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.” The biggest half-orc snorted. “I figure we scared the little blighters.”

  It was time I made an appearance. A twist of thought, and Von Dominus materialized on the top step of the entrance. I raced into his mind and took on the sensations of flesh once again. I blinked and took in a deep breath of the sulfur-scented air.

  The Tainted Elf avatar I’d chosen had a wide variety of talents. He was as agile as the wind and possessed senses far sharper than any human. I’d played hundreds of hours of VRMMOs back on Earth, so the elf had every move, every trick, every lesson I’d ever learned programmed into his reflexes. Oh, and he was as strong as Bertha; the Vampiric Expertise perk that Lilith had gifted me with had its perks. And then, there was his ability to Enthrall the weak-minded. If this was a video game instead of reality, I’d have been properly overpowered. But in the Sinarius Realm, there was always a bigger fish.

  Still, these invaders of my dungeon were like plankton compared to me.

  “...we need to get out of here,” a half-orc said, as oblivious to my presence as the rest of them. “I’m telling you, those lightning fuckers were just the start. The others didn’t have Lilith-damned bugs that could zap us.”

  “Or tear our faces off,” another guest added.

  “Where are your balls?” the biggest half-orc said. “Your fucking testicles?”

  I slid silently off the last step and tapped the one who’d spoken on the shoulder. As he turned around, I drew my dagger and drove the blade into his groin. He screamed as I pulled upward and split him from ball sack to chest in one swift movement.

  “Found them,” I said as he toppled over. “Now, who else would like a vasectomy? It’s on the house.”

  The final pair of half-orcs whirled to face me with weapons raised. I stepped casually over their comrade’s corpse as it faded into essence and traveled toward my Siphoning Stones. The pair recoiled at the sight and almost stepped onto the Bladed-Fan trigger.

  “So,” I said, “which one of you wants to answer some questions? What did you mean by ‘others’? Are there other Infernal Dungeons?”

  Sure, enthralling them would be the easiest and most efficient way of getting the information, but if they were willing to give it up for free, I’d happily take the easier option. I wasn’t sure whether enthralling another creature would weaken my hold on Ralph, and he was, presently. far more important to me than the information these half-orcs might carry inside their tiny brains.

  Predictably, the final two half-orcs weren’t willing to take the easier option.

  The first one lunged at me, and I turned aside his clumsy thrust aside. I slipped to the side before I smashed a roundhouse kick to his thigh and shattered bone like glass. He howled, but an elbow to the temple dropped him like a sack of shit and left me free to deal with the second one. The last half-orc proved the smartest as he pulled a dagger from his belt and hurled it at me. I watched the dagger flash toward me, and then snatched it out of the air before it could slice into my chest.

  “Not a bad throw,” I said as I examined his weapon. “And a rather remarkable knife.”

  The half-orc stared in astonishment, unable to form words as I stepped closer toward him. I crushed the throat of his unconscious, still-breathing compatriot under my heel, and then. made eye conta
ct with him.

  Fear of death was almost an equal to my enthralling powers, and he dropped his weapons before he uttered a blubbering plea to spare his life.

  “Enough,” I said as I pressed the dagger to his throat. “Have you been to other Infernal Dungeons?”

  “Yes,” the half-orc slurred. “Others in the realm. Far away, days’ travel from here.”

  Lilith, you sly goddess. Oh, she was breaking all of the rules now. She’d told me that I was the only Infernal Dungeon Core in the Sinarius Realms. Now, she’d gone behind my back and planted others? I considered the thought for a moment. It could’ve been a distraction, a way to keep the pressure off Zagorath while I delved into other realms, conquered other dungeons, and absorbed their powers.

  The Infernal Goddess may have very well been watching my back, this whole time. But this changed up the dynamic pretty seriously.

  “What were they like?” I asked.

  “Small. Not as powerful as this one.”

  If Lilith had sincerely given me the position as her Viceroy, then it made sense for these other dungeons not to be. She didn’t want them competing with me, at least not yet.

  I risked rifling through the memories of the half-orc and discovered an unremarkable tribal existence with small hints of cannibalism and incest easily visible in his mind. I could send him out with news of the my dungeon and reap the rewards of adventurers delving into Zagorath. Or, I could let people find my lair in their own time, kill this half-orc in cold blood, and dissolve his bones into Physical Essence. What was the better option, in the end?

  The adventurers of the Infernal Realm could amuse themselves with Lilith’s smaller seeds if they wanted; —Zagorath would be here and waiting. Besides, I wanted to focus on the Nature Realm.

  I drove the dagger deep into the half-orc’s heart, and then let him slump to the obsidian floor.

  The Siphoning Stones absorbed his essence, drew in his blood, and reduced his bones to dust. The stones didn’t stop there; —the half-orcs’ weapons and armor dissolved as well, and a readout flashed across my vision.

  Von Dominus killed Half-Orc Nomads x10

  Infernal Essence +1,500

  Soul Essence +55

  Zagorath absorbed Equipment

  Physical Essence +2,200

  I didn’t acquire any new blueprints from the half-orcs. It seemed they had been outfitted with almost identical items to the Half-Orc Scalpers I’d fought all those weeks ago. But this dagger I now held was different.

  I laid it on the ground and allowed my Siphoning Stone to pick it apart.

  Acquired Item!

  Baselard (Orc Steel)

  Rarity: Epic

  Damage Type: Infernal

  Zagorath Consumed a Baselard (Orc Steel)

  Physical Essence +200

  Zagorath Acquired a Blueprint

  Baselard

  After I returned to my gem, I recreated two identical daggers, but this time, I used Zagorath Alloy. Because the weapons were of Epic Rarity, I could craft two seals into each of them. I chose Embolden +3 and Swiftness +3 for one, and then Fright +1 on the other. I considered Illuminate or Might for the final slot, but I left it open. It was both a promise and a challenge to myself. I would keep this second dagger free of a second seal until I found a Nature Dungeon Core. Then, I would conquer her, and gain the ability to craft Nature Seals.

  It was a bit of a handicap, but I liked taking the hard road. Hell, it was why I played every game in hardcore, whenever the permadeath mode was possible.

  Zagorath Crafted Items!

  Baselard of Bold Agility (Zagorath Alloy)

  Rarity: Epic

  Damage Type: Infernal

  Seals: Embolden +3, Swiftness +3

  Embolden inspires nearby allies and makes them immune to fear for a limited time.

  Swiftness channels the essence inside a wielder and increases their speed.

  Cost: 600 Physical Essence, 5,425 Infernal Essence

  Frightening Baselard

  Rarity: Magic

  Damage Type: Infernal

  Seals: Fright +1

  Fright causes nearby enemies to cower in fear for a limited time.

  Cost: 600 Physical Essence, 1,330 Infernal Essence

  I resummoned Von Dominus and took the new daggers in my hands. Their beautiful, black metal gleamed in the soul forge’s light, and I thrust them both forward. I spent some time practicing martial forms I’d learned in the VRMMO, Enter the Dark Realms, while I admired their power. I could move even faster than before, and I imagined my enemies would see little more than a blur before I gutted them.

  Bertha appeared from the stairs that led down toward the Pretzel. Her halberd glittered in the scarlet light as she moved forward, without hurry. Her eyes slid appreciatively over my elven form, and I winked at her as sexual tension rose through my blood once again.

  “I have new toys,” I said as I displayed the daggers.

  “They are perfect weapons of death,” she said as she admired them. “But there’s another matter you might find even more exciting than your toys.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You and Abby would like to pleasure me together?”

  Bertha attempted to hold back a smile. “No. Puck and the adventurer have returned. And they bring good tidings.”

  “Ah, yes. I suppose that is better news than a menage a trois. But only barely.”

  The half-troll chuckled as the scrape of boots behind me announced the arrival of my newest servant.

  “Ralph,” I said as I turned to him, “what’s the news from the Nature Realm?”

  He radiated mixed scents of rotting bark and morning dew, alien aromas in the Infernal Realm. As he drew closer, I couldn’t see them as anything less than the aromas of opportunity.

  “To put it simply,” Ralph said, “we’ve found ourselves a Nature Sigil, a dungeon, and a guild.”

  I took a moment to let the implications of the sentence sink in. Huh. Ralph was proving to be worth his weight in gold. Sparing his life had been one of the best decisions I’d ever made.

  “Tell me everything,” I said.

  Chapter Nine

  As one day became another, Ralph relayed how he and Puck had come upon the Nature Dungeon, followed the adventurers into Elderwood House, and the result of his meetings with the Sage and three members of the Deadeye Guild. He showed me a freshly painted Nature Sigil that now allowed him to harvest essence from that realm and use its equipment.

  Suffice it to say, I was impressed.

  “What’s the name of this village?” I asked after he’d provided a summary of the events.

  “Elderwood House.” Ralph paused. “Probably no more than a hundred people live there, just a small cluster of guild members and their families.”

  “Which guild member is sympathetic to our plans?” I asked.

  “Bolnir. He’s a dwarf, and he wastes no affection on the elves or his superiors in the Deadeye Guild. He’s quite eager to meet you.”

  There was one more thing I needed to know. “Did you negotiate terms with them?”

  Ralph hesitated. “Yes. We swore to Lilith that we’d not harm any of them, bring you to meet them, and then keep a group known as the Sap Lords off their backs.”

  “Sap Lords? How interesting.”

  He swallowed a lump in his throat and continued. “The lords seem to be bureaucrats who rule over the Deadeye Guild; they’re quite strict and have their favorites, apparently. Bolnir hates them. I think his plan is to use an alliance with you to gain greater position in his guild.”

  It made sense. This dwarf and his companions would make fine allies, provided our interests aligned. If they didn’t, then I would execute them and return to Zagorath with their items as prizes.

  “What did you tell them of me?” I asked.

  “That you’re the traveling Viceroy of Lilith, gifted with great power,” Puck answered, “and that you seek to upset the balance of power that the guilds hold over their members.”
>
  Well, my Shade sure knew how to sell things to potential allies.

  “And you’re sure no one followed you to the travel stone?” I asked.

  “We took precautions, Master,” Puck replied. “I cloaked us both in darkness, and we stole away in the dead of night. If there are those who still managed to track us to the stone, then they will be worthy additions to the army of Zagorath.”

  “You both have done well,” I said before turning to my adventurer. “Ralph, take some much-needed rest. I will have further need of you shortly.”

  Ralph retired to the First Floor, his limbs weighed down from sheer exhaustion. I released some of my raw Infernal Essence, and it drifted toward him through the tiled ground. His Infernal Sigil drank it in, and he took a deep breath. His eyes shone with a scarlet hue as I replenished his essence reserves.

  I returned my attention to Puck and performed a similar healing. “You’ve been the first to observe Ralph in action outside of Zagorath. How does he perform under pressure?”

  “As much as I may hate to admit it, Master,” Puck said, “he’s incredibly resourceful, skilled, and useful to our greater quest for power.”

  Ralph was becoming much more useful than I had first imagined, and it seemed that even Puck had acknowledged the fact.

  “What do you intend to do now, Master?” Puck asked. “Will you return with us to the Nature Realm?”

  “That’s exactly what I plan to do. Abby and Bertha will remain here. They will be more than sufficient to defend my depths. First, however, I need to protect my dungeon cores.”

  They were too vulnerable in their current location on the First Floor, but my new Throne Room at the bottom of the Chasm would discourage all but the strongest adventurers from stealing or destroying the Infernal and Storm dungeon cores.

  “Abby,” I murmured. “I’m having our cores relocated.”