I don’t see why you’d want an enlarging spell that powerful. Even if you find a woman who can handle a dick that big, wouldn’t all the blood rush to fill it and make you pass out?
Sthuza burst into giggles across the room.
‘If that is the nature of the spells within that book, Master, it makes me question your eagerness to acquire it.’
Gabriel smirked at his Prime, then returned to reading.
While some spells were common knowledge and taught at the Academy, most were closely guarded secrets. The more glyphs needed to form a spell, the more varied options there were to create them.
Gabriel knew of at least five different versions of the Fireball spell, but he’d never had access to a complete glyph diagram of it.
Since I never planned on a dangerous life, I didn’t study many attack spells. Especially large scale ones like Fireball, but it’s a famous enough spell. And his glyph combination looks sound.
‘Do you believe you can learn that one before we catch up to the adventurers?’
Yeah. I already know most of the ones for Fireball. The few I don’t are relatively simple. Might take a few days, but I can do it. There are several other glyphs I don’t know in here. Mostly related to mental magic. Can’t wait to learn some of those.
‘Promise me that you will not push yourself too hard, Master. Do not meddle with magic you cannot control, please!’
The extreme concern that washed across their bond alongside her words startled him. He snapped his mind shut before his unfiltered thoughts could reach her.
Whatever happened to Iylara, it was probably related to magic. Maybe she pushed herself too hard?
Once confident of his self-control, Gabriel opened his mind and assured Sthuza that he would be careful. She calmed quickly, and he skipped ahead to the mental magics in the back of the tome.
Now, these I’ll have to take my time with. If I even want to learn them.
He shuddered as he read the notes written next to some of the glyph combinations. The majority of Kelith’s scribbles related to a collection of mental domination and memory altering spells.
He was handsome, rich, and powerful. Why the hells would he want so many spells to manipulate women?
Despite his misgivings about the creepy notes, Gabriel forced his way through the book. There were several new glyphs for him to learn and dozens of spells.
Looks like Kelith was a far more capable mage than I gave him credit for. Have to respect his mastery of mental magics, even if he was an entitled prick. You can’t buy skill and understanding.
While the book might not aid them against Estrial, it would boost his study of magic by years.
Despite the dangers and massive time investment required, a lot more people would study if casters didn’t all hoard their spells like a dragon’s gold.
“Perhaps, Master. I believe most mortals are unwilling to invest the decades of effort to gain a reasonable proficiency. But we can discuss philosophy later.”
Gabriel looked up and blinked at the sight before him. Cindra stood beside a beautiful redhead. The slender beauty wore cream-colored pants and a green shirt. Her thick auburn locks shifted, almost like… snakes… and his mind finally caught up.
“Nice disguise. Though, it’s not as sexy as the real you.”
The pale beauty blushed, but her lips turned up in a slight smile. “Thank you, Massster, it is a minor enchantment, but it should sssufficcce. We are ready to leave if you are.”
“Oh right, I got a little more into the book than I’d planned. If you’re both set, let’s go.”
His bonded nodded, but Merideva flew over and slammed into him. “Please don’t leave me, Gabriel. Can’t you just send them to get it?”
He reached up and palmed the glowing gemstone. “I don’t want to leave, but we have to get that crystal, right?”
Meri sniffled, but she bobbed. “Ye-yeah, I won’t survive long here without it. But can’t they go get it? They’re super strong.”
Gabriel glanced at his Prime, who shrugged and looked as uncertain as he felt.
“Meri, I have to go. I need to deal with Estrial myself. But we’ll move quickly and be back before you know it.”
She sniffled again, but her dark-blue glow softened. He held her up to eye level. “You promise?”
“Yeah, I promise. You’re going to conjure lots of goblins and kobolds, so there’ll be plenty of work for you to manage, right? Plus, you have Cuix and Kestria to take care of anything you need.”
“Okay, but please hurry back,” she whispered.
“I will.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The trip up to the guard post at the dungeon’s sole entrance took almost an hour.
Gabriel had paid it only passing interest on his way in, far more focused on the grand adventure he’d embarked on.
Or at least the grand adventuress’ tight ass while Estrial led me around by the nose.
‘No more such thoughts, Master. She was a duplicitous bitch, and you were rocked by your expulsion from the Academy.’
Maybe, but I still should have known better than to trust that a famous adventurer would want me to join them. And to seek me out by name was a huge red flag.
Sthuza sent him the mental equivalent of an amused smirk as she listened to his demeaning worries. ‘Perhaps, but have you considered that if you had thought with your big head instead of your… lower one, you would not be here with us? With me?’
True. Thanks.
She flashed him a smile, and they continued on in comfortable silence until they reached the fortified outpost erected to prevent any dungeon monsters from escaping into the city. The exact thing they were attempting.
The dungeon tunnel ended in a square space, half the size of Meri’s Core Room. Massive walls of magically smoothed stone enclosed the checkpoint. A steel portcullis hung above the entrance, and they passed by the foot-thick reinforced door.
Gabriel swallowed hard, painfully aware of the sudden dryness in his mouth at the sight of four armed and armored guards watching their approach.
Two human males wearing enchanted heavy armor and full-face helmets were closest. Behind them, a pair of lithe elven spellcasters in elegant dresses watched Gabriel and his bonded intently. Each magic-user held a sinister-looking staff.
As dangerous as the four defenders might be, Gabriel knew they weren’t expected to hold back an outpouring of dungeon monsters. They were the canary the miners kept around to warn of danger.
Each guard carried an enchanted necklace that would trigger an alarm in the city barracks and the Guild. Within minutes of one guard calling for aid, or losing consciousness, a horde of warriors and mages would be seeking Gabriel and his bonded.
He struggled to fight down the urge to run and met their watchful gazes. When he opened his mouth to greet them, nothing came out.
Shit.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes widened until his Prime spoke up. Her cultured voice was confident and calmed him instantly.
“Greetings, was there a shift change while we were in there?” she asked with a more arrogant tone than he’d expected.
One of the guards nodded. “Yeah, you must have gone in on Harold’s shift. Cause I know I’d remember a pretty little thing like you.”
Given their desire to avoid drawing attention, Gabriel was surprised when Sthuza flashed an annoyed, almost outraged look at the bold guardsman.
She sniffed haughtily. “Well, at least this, Harold, had decent manners.”
Gabriel’s fear of discovery ratcheted up at her confrontational tone. Then the other three guards all broke out laughing.
“Damn, Alder, that’s bad, getting compared to Harold,” the other man said with a laugh.
The two elves giggled, but their stunning blue eyes were fixed on Gabriel the entire time.
Last time I came through here, I’d have been thrilled to have either one of them look at me like that. Now I’m practically praying that they
’ll just turn away and ignore me.
Estrial wasn’t the first elf to ever catch his fancy. Gabriel had always found the slightly exotic women to be stunning, both due to their physical appearance and the incredible magic and feats they could accomplish with their lengthy lifespans.
‘If you favor older women so strongly, Master, perhaps we should have been looking for a dragoness rather than a salamander?’
He bit the inside of his cheek hard and glanced away, desperate to keep from blushing.
Gabriel forgot to breathe as he approached the guards. The elves kept their eyes on him, and it took all of his will to remain calm.
He stepped up to let them scan his adventurer’s tag, but Alder waved them through without a word. The two men had their attention entirely on his beautiful bonded.
Sthuza’s disguise was complete, but it still left her looking like a beautiful human woman. Unlike his Prime, all Cindra had done to disguise her nature was put on her gloves.
In the skintight armor, she appeared every bit as powerful and sexy as usual. With her claws and most of her fur concealed, only her wolf-like ears and fangs gave her away as a beastkin. The hellhound could easily pass for an exotic inutari, which made it easy to see why the men were distracted.
Given I’d never heard of a humanoid hellhound, I can’t imagine anyone suspecting her. And there are countless variants of the almost human-looking anitari out there. Even some with skin as gray as Cindra’s.
As Gabriel passed, the two elves began speaking in their native tongue while still staring at him.
A few years before, when he’d known no concerns about life after the Academy, he started studying Elvish. He didn’t remember where he’d gotten the smart idea to learn such a complex language. Still, he’d hoped it would help him charm one of the many elves studying magic alongside him.
Instead, it ate up yet more of his limited free time. After four years without any girls showing interest in the overworked student, he had dropped the course.
Which meant he understood just enough words to realize they were talking about him. He would’ve loved to have had that kind of attention a couple of weeks ago.
They’re attractive but definitely not as appealing as my bonded.
‘Aww, Master, you think the sweetest thoughts.’
Her words in his head distracted Gabriel from his anxiety. He even managed to smile at the staring elves.
Then his Prime paused and touched his arm, so he stopped next to her. Sthuza spoke aloud again, this time talking about him.
In perfect Imperial Elvish. Which she helpfully translated in his mind.
She went into rather exquisite detail as she described how dominant he was in bed, paying particular attention to his incredible size and prowess.
Those elven gazes turned hungry. Gabriel blushed, and his ears felt so hot he wouldn’t have been surprised if they combusted.
Almost as predatory as Sthuza looked when she tried to seduce me.
‘Tried to seduce you? Do I need to work harder, Master?’
He was saved from the need to respond when the unnamed man laughed. “Not sure how you can handle one that spicy, but good on ya.”
Gabriel nodded mutely at the man’s jovial words and waited for Cindra to join him before following the gloating gorgon through the massive gatehouse and into the glaring sunlight.
“Ah, that is rather refreshing,” Sthuza said, her arms spread wide as she turned her face to the morning sun.
Seeing her basking in the sun’s warmth drove any remaining concern about their encounter with the guards from his mind. He looked around at the bustling crowd that filled the well-paved stone street.
Despite being in decline, Lostbarrow still feels cramped.
‘It looks much… different from how I remember, Master.’
They stood in the center of the city, the imposing bunker that controlled access to the dungeon behind them.
Guards, merchants, and laborers passed by, and he noticed more traffic than usual. The familiar smell of the sea and too many people packed in tight reminded him of how much had happened since the last time he saw the sun.
“Packm—uff,” Cindra grunted when Sthuza elbowed her in the gut. “I mean, Gabriel, it’s nice here.”
He turned and smiled at the tall hellhound. “It is a lovely day. Hopefully, we’ll have some time to look around a bit on this trip. There’s a lot I’m sure you’d enjoy seeing.”
She beamed at him, her dark-gray face filled with eagerness and joy.
“But first, we need to head to the Careless Queen Inn and see if we can get back in my old room. Hope Estrial didn’t report me as dead,” he muttered.
“There is no point in worrying about it until we find out, Mas—Gabriel,” Sthuza said.
◆◆◆
It took Gabriel half an hour to lead his bonded through the Guild Quarter’s more prosperous section. The trip would have been quicker if he and Sthuza hadn’t been forced to restrain Cindra every time she smelled something interesting.
He paused and stared at the large, rundown inn where he’d stayed ever since being expelled.
With its cracked masonry and narrow windows, the Careless Queen looked exactly as it had when he’d last seen it, which struck him as strange. He walked up the creaking front steps to the weather-beaten double doors.
Feels like a lifetime since I was here last.
‘It has been a “lifetime” for you, from a certain point of view.’
He snickered at Sthuza’s interjection in his thoughts but turned to smile at her.
Still, I don’t remember the stairs creaking so much.
‘You did not have a hellhound with you last time, Master.’
Gabriel glanced down to the thick boards beneath Cindra’s feet. Despite a slight bow, they held her supernatural weight.
After taking a deep breath to ready himself, he continued up, opened the door, and then led his two bonded into the inn’s smoky first-floor tavern.
They’d made good time all things considered, but it was still past noon. The place was moderately crowded as several lower-ranked adventurers, and more than a few tradesmen were present for lunch.
He’d barely had time to look across the room when a warm voice cried out.
“Gabriel Grimm, as I live and breathe. I thought that slutty elf would be the death of you for sure!”
He winced as several heads turned to watch the rotund, red-faced woman waddle over and wrap her arms around him.
“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Spaulding,” he said, patting her back awkwardly.
Sthuza grinned at him while Cindra turned and stared toward the kitchen.
Mrs. Spaulding wore the same beige dress and stained apron he’d always seen her in. Light-brown hair, with more than a few streaks of gray, perched messily over her round face.
Age and years of hard work had lined her face, but her warm brown eyes had a forceful presence few people in the area could resist.
“Oh my, did you get stretched while you were in that terrible dungeon chasing after that naughty booty?” she gasped as she leaned back to get a better look at his taller build.
Gabriel laughed at her outrageous comment. Thankfully he could explain it away as a sudden boost in Essence.
Everyone had heard stories of adventurers delving dungeons and getting lucky. While most focused on the tales of riches, there were tales about delvers who acquired noticeable Soul Essence in a dungeon.
Doubt anyone got as much in one go as Meri gave me, but still, a reasonably believable excuse for my physical growth.
“Well to be truthful, the… group did not work as well as I’d hoped,” he said while trying to keep any lingering rage at the beautiful elf’s betrayal hidden.
It wasn’t too hard given the embarrassment he felt at how blatantly he’d lusted after the sorceress.
“I don’t want to say I told you so, but I am delighted to see you whole and well,” Mrs. Spaulding said with a wide smile.
“Though you are looking a bit more whole and well than I recall,” she said and grinned up at him.
Gabriel matched her expression. “Yeah. The delve didn’t go so great, and I ended up going my own way. After we separated, I got in over my head, but got lucky and found these two ladies who helped me out of a jam.”
He pointed to his bonded. In the short time they’d stood by his side, the pair had already captured the attention of the mostly male crowd in the noisy tavern.
They’re both far more beautiful than the usual patrons. I need to get a brush for Cindra’s hair, though. She looks a little too wild.
“By the time we got through it all, I’d stumbled onto quite a tidy Essence boost. Most of it went to enhancing my body.” He gestured at his much more impressive figure.
The bright-eyed matron stared at him doubtfully. She chewed her lip as she studied him. “Hmmph, well, long as you’re safe and sound, that’s all that really matters.”
Finally letting him go, she smiled at the two beautiful women with him. “And thank you lovely ladies for keeping this young man safe. He’s sweet, but I worried about him getting mixed up with that Guild stuff,” she huffed.
“It was our pleasure, Madam.”
Cindra kept her mouth shut, thankfully, and only nodded when Sthuza greeted the portly innkeeper and made introductions.
“I was wondering if we could get rooms for the night, maybe for the whole week,” Gabriel said after she finished looking over his companions.
She sighed and frowned. “I’m afraid we’re all booked up. There have been a bunch of outsiders arriving lately. Word is there’s war brewing up north.”
“Oh, did you save my stuff? I didn’t leave much in my room, but I’ll take it off your hands.”
She stared at him in shock for a second. “We didn’t rent out your room, silly. You paid for the month, remember? It’s just like you left it,” she said with a grin. “But we don’t have any extra room… although,” she trailed off as her gaze swept the tavern.
“Do you have a possible solution? We would be willing to pay extra if a patron is willing to give up their room,” Sthuza suggested quietly.
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