Must be a secondary barracks or something down there.
One man went down, but the other, who wore ornate plate armor, stayed on his feet.
“Monsters?” he muttered when he laid eyes on Cindra and Reyna.
“I’m a werebadger, you crusty spunktrumpet!” Reyna snarled. Her gruff voice carried far more outrage than Gabriel had believed possible.
“How did filth like you get in here?” the guard asked. Despite the fierce battle in the hall, the armored man, obviously higher ranked than the others, seemed unfazed. “It’ll be fun to watch Tobias explain this to the baron.”
Gabriel chuckled darkly. “Oh, don’t worry about Tobias. We already took care of him. The old man paid for letting them frame me.”
“What? Who in blazes are you? Wait, framed. This about that snot-nosed brat whining when some commoner showed him up?”
Sthuza’s cold laughter caused the man to look toward her.
“Did I say something funny, bitch?” he snapped.
Gabriel’s blood boiled instantly, and he tasted cinnamon.
‘It does not mean anything to me, Master. He is nothing. Please, calm yourself.’ Sthuza’s voice sounded tinny and far away to Gabriel.
He glared at the mouthy guard and growled deep in his throat.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I insult your girlfriend? Don’t worry. Once the baron finishes with her, my boys and I will take good care of her for you.”
“Uh-oh, shiny-pants pissed off Packmaster,” Cindra rumbled.
“What are you talking about, boob queen? Ignore them and help me kill these other two.”
The commander sneered at Gabriel. “Ooo, I’m shaking in my boots. What kind of depraved sicko are you? You have a proper human woman, and yet you run with filth like them?”
Gabriel didn’t blink.
‘You cannot let a weak-willed cretin like that insult your servants, Dungeon Master. The gorgon makes a poor Prime. But she and the hound are far greater than that arrogant little monkey.’
The words reverberated in Gabriel’s head; their odd cadence and unpleasant flavor left him feeling almost sick. But the sheer rage smoldering within him soon drove out the discomfort, and he tapped his pool.
Harsh, alien syllables tore at his throat and erupted from his mouth. His hand traced a complex series of glyphs so utterly wrong that they caused his head to ache.
Gabriel didn’t care.
He felt Sthuza’s mental presence brush against his. But it was like a gentle breeze in the middle of a tornado.
Power welled within him, far more than the small trickle of mana he’d drawn from his pool should have provided. Gabriel blinked when he realized the spell was ready.
But what spell is it?
The guard’s spiteful words filled his consciousness again. All Gabriel could feel was rage. A raw, burning need to retaliate with a grossly disproportionate response.
He activated the spell.
The world around them flashed and spun until the two men stood alone. Gone was the gaudy entry hall with its tapestries and thick rug. The riotous clash and clang of battle faded out.
Gabriel’s whole body was aflame. All he could see was the arrogant man’s face.
The commander’s ornate, vanguard plate armor and closed-faced helm—it had all vanished. The man was half-elven. He had the slightly elongated ears, but there was far too much human blood in him to gain the perks of his fairer half.
His green eyes looked alert, but they lacked the glint of intelligence that Sthuza’s bore. Where hers were emerald, his were a muddled pale green. Those human eyes glared at Gabriel until the man noticed their surroundings. Then a hint of terror flashed through them.
Gabriel sneered as the man’s expression softened. “Not feeling so cocky now, are you?”
The half-elf’s mouth dropped open, and he screamed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The guard continued to scream. For endless hours Gabriel stared at the man as he wailed incessantly. One never-ending scream of unbearable agony.
‘Yes! Make him suffer for insulting your servants. Etch you wrath into his soul, then unravel it before him.’
‘Master!’ a strange, feminine-sounding voice cried. Its words were barely audible over the screaming guard, but the voice itself struck a chord. Gabriel tuned his attention to it. He focused on the familiar sensation and tried to remember why it affected him.
Who’s there?
‘Forget about her, you need to finish punishing this unrepentant primate before his pathetic god claims his rotten soul.’
I need to… soul…
‘Master, can you hear me?’
Yeah, but who…
The moment Gabriel thought the question, a woman’s face appeared in his mind. Slender and sharp-featured, she had green skin and undulating green-black snakes instead of hair.
A gorgon. A beautiful gorgon.
Gabriel felt a sudden rush of relief mixed with embarrassment. The emotions were not his, but there was a familiar flavor to them.
Odd.
‘Please, Master, return to me. To us.’
‘Ignore the whiny mortals and focus on your purpose. You need his soul. It is your right. Claim it and devour it. Savor the fool’s agony and drink in his Essence. Devour and grow mighty.’
The voice continued to speak in Gabriel’s head, but its words grew quieter. He ignored the voice and concentrated on remembering.
Remember… what?
A muscular beastkin with furry gray ears, bright-blue eyes, and a huge smile appeared before him.
‘Packmaster?’
Packmaster? Gabriel parroted the word, and another rush of emotions filled him. Devotion, love, lust, and overwhelming trust.
Cin… dra.
‘Yes, Master. She is waiting for you.’
Prime.
A single word. But the second Gabriel thought it, his vision blurred, and the two women shimmered before him. Their clean, smiling faces morphed into dirty, blood-streaked frowns. Gabriel took a deep breath, and the world around him exploded into motion.
“Thank the godsss, you are back,” Sthuza said before she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him.
He blinked at her action, then sighed at the sudden relief he felt. Before he could speak, Cindra copied the slender gorgon and wrapped the pair in a spine-cracking hug.
“Yay, Packmaster! You shouldn’t do that spooky magic. It smells evil.”
“Hey, Cindra, Sthuza. Sorry… but what happened?” Gabriel asked.
The two monster girls released him from their embrace, then exchanged glances.
“You, ah… dealt with the guard captain, Master,” Sthuza replied. Something about the way she said it told Gabriel there was a lot more to it than that.
He glanced around the enormous room and flinched when the shield he’d cast to block off the stairs was nowhere to be seen. “What about the others?”
“They all pissed ‘emselves and ran like a bunch of drugged-up gnomes when you made that guy wail like a gods-damned banshee getting assfucked by a demon,” Reyna said.
“What are you talking about…” Gabriel trailed off when he remembered screaming.
A lot of screaming.
He swallowed and turned to where he’d last seen the arrogant guard.
His armored body lay on the polished stone floor in a pool of blood and piss. A gilded helm lay off to one side.
With the helmet removed, Gabriel could see the man’s face.
Or at least what remained of it.
The half-elven guard’s face was a bloody ruin with strips of skin peeled back and one eye dangling out by the nerves—someone had gouged out the other one.
Gabriel swallowed again and studied the gruesome sight. Gore coated the man’s gauntlets, and it only took seconds to realize that the man had destroyed his own face.
Stumbling back at the sight, Gabriel asked, “What did I do?”
One of his bonded caught him before he could fall
and helped him stand, but he barely noticed.
Memories flooded his mind. The dark voice that egged him on, and the endless tortured wails of the half-elf. Gabriel could see the man standing before him nude and exposed, but he didn’t understand why.
At the same time, a part of him was proud of how he punished the one who insulted his Pack.
“I… saw something; I don’t know what. But, I cast a spell at him and then heard this voice in my head. It… wanted me to punish him. And…” Gabriel said, then trailed off when he recalled what exactly it wanted him to do.
“And do what, Master?” Sthuza asked. Her hesitant speech startled him back to the present.
“Devour his soul.”
Reyna gave a growling laugh. “Did ya? Cause the way that pig was squealing, I’d believe it. You should’ve seen how quick the other assclowns fled. Couple of them even shit their britches.”
“Did you, Master?” Sthuza asked in a whisper. “You mentioned that trying to absorb Kelith’s Soul Essence felt too dangerous last night.”
Gabriel shook his head, both to clear it and answer their questioning gazes. “No, I heard your voice, and then Cindra’s. That must have weakened the… whatever that was, and then I woke up.”
His Prime let out a big sigh and nodded. “That is good. I fear that this… presence has a stronger influence on you than we suspected. Master, I-I have no experience with something of this nature. Perhaps you can seal it out of your mind? Block the connection?”
“What’s the big deal if he hears a voice? Your boy toy seems sane enough for me.”
Cindra growled but didn’t say anything. Instead, she stepped close and wrapped Gabriel in another hug.
“We should not discuss this topic right now. It is far too complex to explain, and we have other issues to attend to,” Sthuza said.
“So we’re still good for offing the crusty turd-licker upstairs?” Reyna asked.
“Yeah, we’ve come this far. I’m not going to back down now, but we need to hurry,” Gabriel said. His words might not have fooled any of the women, but they gave him something to focus on. The baron was a rotten ruler who’d ruined Gabriel’s life and done something to drive Reyna to a nearly suicidal plan for revenge. The arrogant man deserved to die.
“We’ve got the hard part done already, so let’s go.”
“Awesome, I knew you had to be useful if you managed to seduce these two hot pieces of ass,” Reyna said as she raced up the stairs.
Sthuza turned to Gabriel. “She is quite… charming, no?”
◆◆◆
Gabriel and his bonded caught up with the foul-mouthed lycan near the top of the stairs. They opened unto a long hall lined with identical wooden doors. The green carpet was threadbare and stained. Brass signs marked the offices of the city’s various bureaucrats.
Four armored guards had beaten them to Reyna and were now doing their best to turn her into a pincushion.
As the trio rushed to support her, she lashed out again with long claws and caught one man’s knee. He let out an agonized scream when she sheared through the lighter armor. Ignoring the other guards, Reyna surged forward and tackled the one she had her claws in.
“Cindra, take the one on the left,” Gabriel said. “Sthuza, the right.”
Trusting his bonded to handle their targets, he rushed the one closest to the brawling werebadger.
Sword already in hand, he announced his attack with a loud yell, distracting his target. Gabriel grinned when the guard turned away from Reyna’s defenseless back to protect himself.
The armored man was smaller than average. Gabriel didn’t expect much of a challenge, despite the fine mail hauberk, figuring his enchanted sword would more than even the odds.
Unfortunately, the small swordsman quickly demonstrated more skill than Gabriel had ever encountered. Seconds after their blades crossed, he found himself backpedaling toward the stairs.
His opponent wielded an unusual blade. It had a sharper curve and a different style than he was used to. Three swift strikes were all it had taken for the agile guard to work Gabriel’s sword out of position.
A smug grin creased the man’s plain face, and his blade glowed red. He brought the scimitar upward in a vicious slash from the left.
Panic flooded Gabriel’s mind when he realized his mistake. He stumbled backward in a desperate dodge.
Wish I’d taken the time to cast a shield. Or Haste.
He flinched as the glowing blade caught him dead center in the chest. A slight burning sensation followed the path of the masterful strike, but it was nowhere near as painful as he’d expected.
If it doesn’t hurt, that means it’s bad, doesn’t it?
Arms windmilling, Gabriel tried to recover his balance before he tumbled down the stairs.
Just as he expected to tilt back and fall, he got his feet back under him and regained his balance. His mind slowed. Gabriel forced his gaze to his killer’s—and blinked.
The lightly armored man stared at him in shock.
Noticing the brown eyes locked on his chest, Gabriel risked a glance down and blinked again.
The long, padded coat Sthuza had given him bore a horrible gash across the front. But despite perfect execution and a magically sharp blade, the attack had failed to draw blood.
Gabriel grinned.
Then he felt a sharp sting and spotted a thin red line blossoming in the middle of the damaged gambeson.
Jinxed myself there.
His body shook in fear and relief from the close call. He swallowed and pulled back his overextended arm as the guard stepped back and pulled a small metal vial from a belt pouch.
The skilled swordsman kept his gaze on Gabriel as he popped the cap with his thumb, then raised the slender tin tube to his nose and snorted. Wincing, the guard shook his head and stalked in once more.
Not good. Alchemical inhalants are hardcore.
The man moved quicker, and his curved sword flashed out repeatedly. Each blow seemed to come from a different angle.
Haste then. My spell’s more powerful, but I can’t risk trying to cast right now.
Gabriel fought more cautiously, aware of how outclassed he was, and accepted minor cuts to avoid leaving himself exposed again.
Really hope one of the others finishes soon. This guy’s way too quick for me.
With all of his attention on staying alive, Gabriel couldn’t muster the focus to even try spellcasting.
Need to cast buffs before we rush in. I should have been ready. Definitely going to prepare better for the next fight. Make this a learning experience.
He ducked a swipe at his head, then twisted away from a reverse cut that sliced his sleeve.
As long as this guy doesn’t kill me first.
After thirty seconds spent attacking from all angles, the smaller man switched his focus and began to aim high. His gray eyes were bloodshot, but he showed no signs of slowing.
Gabriel abandoned his efforts to protect his entire body and focused on keeping his head. Despite the man’s enhanced speed, he managed to block most of the blows.
Need to get a helmet too. A blade through the brain is a great way to get dead.
Another series of strikes worked his mithril conduit high. The short guard lunged forward and slammed his shoulder into Gabriel’s gut. He gasped, and his foot slipped.
Panic filled his mind. His vision tunneled, and he whipped his sword across in desperation.
The arcanite pommel flared oddly just before the green stone smashed into the man’s temple. Red blood sprayed as his skull exploded, coating Gabriel with blood, brains, and bone shards.
Far too much gore landed in his open mouth. He sputtered even as he lost his balance, and gravity pulled him down.
His arms were tangled with the headless corpse. He couldn’t see due to the blood that dripped down his face and burned his eyes.
A grip like iron grabbed his arm and halted his fall.
Heels barely touching the floor and held
up by the single arm, Gabriel twisted. His dead attacker slid past him to thump down the stairs.
“Packmaster should use glowy-sword magic and move faster.”
Guess she means like when I cast Eldritch Edge against the arachne.
Mouth still fouled with brains and blood, Gabriel spat again then drew a long, relieved breath. “Thanks for the save, Cindra.”
Did she make his head explode, or was it the sword?
“That’s what Pack does,” she replied happily, then licked his face.
He shuddered at her casual action, but wiped a sleeve across the mess enough he could see again.
Reyna laughed. “You look like a demon-fucking cultist there.”
“Glad to hear how grateful you are we saved you,” he grumbled in reply.
“Eh? Oh, you mean drawing that midget away from me? Nah, I had ‘em right where I wanted ‘em. You robbed me of a kill, you damn chew toy.”
Coughing up the last chunks of person, Gabriel spat again and cast the cleaning spell he had become so familiar with.
I’ve used this more in the past couple of days than in the previous month.
To his surprise, the spell even removed the horrid taste of dead swordsman, and he glanced down to check his coat.
The gray-and-green gambeson was perfectly clean once more, though the terrible gash remained. The deep cut reminded him of the final battle in the Core Room.
That guy with the spear almost got me. I need to stop facing skilled fighters… or wear a breastplate. And start training again.
A twinge of concern flickered across one of his bonds.
He looked over to his Prime. “Thanks again for this coat, Sthuza. That guy’s attack would have cut me clean in two without it. Hells, it probably would have killed me even through my old jacket,” he added with a snort.
She stepped close and ran a finger along the cut. Her expression darkened. “Hmm, yes, Master, it likely would have. Speaking of, we should take that man’s sword.”
They turned to look for it, only to find Reyna had already gotten started on the looting.
She had the curved sword back in its scabbard and slung over her shoulder as she looted the other three men.
Dungeon Bound 2 Page 23
