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Story Codes: Fantasy, Gamelit, Magic, Violence

For a list of all the dungeon builder stories click here

Click here for the world map!

Comments are very welcome. I would like all criticism, positive and negative, so long as it’s
constructive, and feedback is very appreciated.

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Click here for Part 13.

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Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

Chapter Thirty

I hated burning mana veins. Now I only had twenty-one as I appeared invisible in the library. I had moved fast, sending a scryer from my staging base on the edge of the woods. There was an exit out of it now and my teleport spot went to it.

I was in the room, the librarians all cowering as the werewolves prowled around in their wolf forms sniffing the air. I appeared beside Fara. She was crouched down by a pair of other elves. She was looking at her journal.

Of course, she was.

A slight vibration rumbled up through the floor. It wasn’t much, but it was growing stronger. He was moving in his dungeon. I just knew it. Right now, Fuegin formed all the infrastructure he needed. I wanted to get Fara and get out of here.

“Fara, I’m here,” I sent to her.

“Yes, Lord.” She looked around for me. I just had to take her hand and I could teleport her away. “Why are you here and not where I described the barrier to be?”

“I’m here to take you away.”

“I cannot.” She gave a flat shake of her head as she kept looking for me. “There’s research to uncover. There is no point in me leaving if I can keep researching. You need to make it so your dungeon can enter the land.”

“You’re in danger, Fara.” I wanted to just drag her with me.

“We all are in danger. You want to save the world, my Lord? You want to end the plague of the builders? We need to know where every sword is. I must keep researching. I don’t know them all yet. I am close.”

I stared down at her.

“I don’t care. You’re coming.”

She glanced at the male elf holding the trembling woman. Their ages were hard to determine, but they felt older than… The woman looked so much like Fara. I fought a groan. I didn’t want to make any noise.

“Your parents?”

She nodded.

Shit.

“You should disable the device. Remove the bracer from the Lightning builder. He’ll be against the south wall.”

I sighed and walked across the room, trying to move as softly as I could. I had no protective spells on me. I hoped the werewolves wouldn’t notice me with all the other elves cowering here. I just had to move slowly. I passed through the open door and found the Great Sage’s office. The bookshelf hiding the entrance was shoved back.

I descended the stairs. I headed deep into the earth. It grew cool. The scent of soil and rocks filled my nose. I reached the bottom and entered the room with the twelve slumbering builders. They were all covered in shrouds like they were dead.

South was…

I didn’t know. I drew back a few of the shrouds, my fingers tingling, until I found one with the Lightning Bracer of Binding. Just as Fara told me, I pressed down on the glyph and thought about it coming unclasped.

I pulled it off his arm. I pulled back the sheet. This young man looked vaguely Asian. There was something different about him. He must be ancient. Taken here before Christ. He would never recognize our world.

Were his dreams happy? Did he see his monster girls in them? I bet he did. After all, monster girls dreamed while they slumbered in the Void. They were happy while they waited to be reborn. He had the slightest smile on his lips.

Yes, he was with them.

“Sleep, brother,” I whispered. “Maybe one day, I can wake you up.”

I held the bracer. I couldn’t leave it here. All I needed was for Fuegin to replace it if he realized what was happening. Luckily, there didn’t appear to be any spares. Why would they need them? No elf would do this.

I climbed up the stairs and returned to the office. As I did, I heard singing. A soothing song. Beautiful. Melodic. Sirens I stepped into the outer room to find a group of sirens moving through the room. Level 3 Thunder monster girls who were all gorgeous with silvery skin and blue hair. The elves huddling in fear relaxed as their aria soothed them.

Following the sirens in was a strange monster girl who was a living prism, her crystalline body refracting the light shining through her and spilling it out in a hypnotic pattern as she moved. She swept her gaze around and…

Stared right at me.

She was obviously a Light monster girl, and somehow she could see through my invisibility. Shit.
A wolf snarled and lightning crackled. A raiju charged in, made entirely of blue plasma in the shape of a snarling beast. Behind her came three cherubim, their halos sparking with electricity. My stomach lurched.

The prism pointed at me.

“Lightning flashes, let the passion of Lady Uttu fly!”

I teleported across the room as lightning flew from the cherubim crowns and struck the wall. It burst with a crackle of sparks. The prism stared at me as I darted from where I appeared, moving me in a position to see into another room.

“Lightning flashes, let the passion of Lady Uttu fly!”

I jumped into this new room. It was full of books. I had to get back to my teleport spot. The raiju howled. They would burst in here in a moment. I waited until I saw her glowing body made of crackling lightning.

“Winds swirl, let the rage of Lord Anu rampage!”

I unleashed Twister, an Ultimate Wind spell. The vortex surged forward into the door, ripping up tables and books. Papers flew in the air as the tornado slammed into the raiju and threw her along with the cherubim. The twister swept out into the main room, the air roaring.

I darted out in its wake. The sirens were darting for cover. The librarians dove for safety. I hoped none of them were hurt as I rushed for my teleport spot. The prism stared at me as the raiju recovered and snarled at me.

“The waves rage, let the seas of Lord Enki protect!”

Water suddenly whirled around me. Tentacles lashed out at the raiju, throwing her back in a crackle of sparks. The cherubim struck the ball of water protecting me with their blasts of electricity. The water protected me from all of it.

Azure Dance, another Ultimate spell, was crazy.

I reached my teleport spot. I would never be able to use it again to come back here. Fuegin would have it guarded. It didn’t matter. I used it and flashed out to the edge of the woods by the stairs leading down into my dungeon.

Damn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fauraliiithiliana clawed through the flutter of papers. Water roared. Lightning crackled. The sirens had stopped singing, freeing her mind from the song. She had to get back to her work. Luckily, Leo had dove into the Physical Philosophy wing.

She didn’t need anything from there.

She entered the religious section. Her books were still on her desk. She glanced back to see the water vanish. He was gone. She could feel it. He had gotten away safely. So she darted for her table and scooped up her books. She pulled them beneath it and resumed her work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuegin smiled at the destruction that Leo had brought.

The twister had thrown tables, slammed down books, and torn apart valuable scrolls. The librarians were scurrying about to recover them while his monster girls glowered. Leo hadn’t killed a single one. He had hardly injured any of the librarians.

Fuegin had hurt more when he had destroyed the golems.

Leo had just used Ultimate Magic to trounce them.

That wasn’t surprising at all. Leo had killed Tuerien. He must have pillaged the powerful builder’s dungeon by now and gained access to all the mana veins he needed. Leo had blossomed so much. He had survived so many trials.

“The Lightning binder is missing, cuz,” Zorra reported.

Fuegin burst into laughter. He couldn’t help himself.

“What is so funny?” Liegra asked. As a prism, she could see through any glamour or illusion.

“Nothing, nothing.” Fuegin waved his hand. “Leo will be confronting us.”

“How did he learn we were even here?” Liegra asked.

“He has an agent,” said Amante, Fuegin’s wife. The cherfu sauntered up, her body that of a beautiful woman made of hardened magma. “It’s obvious he has someone here researching for him. He needs the knowledge just like we do.”

“Then let’s find them.” Fuegin turned to Clara, his raiju.

She smiled.

Chapter Thirty-One

Fauraliiithiliana studied beneath the table. She flipped through books on costumes. On temple practices. On surveys and censuses. She dug through the data and passed it all to Nina Naughty.

“Are you okay?” the devil kept asking.

“Of course. I am still finding the information. Now, here is another good possibility.”

Fauraliiithiliana knew she had to keep working. She had to find all this information before she was located by the minions of Fuegin. Lord Leo had made quite the distraction. Fauraliiithiliana had to exploit it to its fullest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For two days, I had watched. Worried.

The library was surrounded now by dungeon walls and a ceiling with a single opening that kept it from being part of the dungeon. Just like the village of Astovin wasn’t part of my dungeon just because my walls were around it.

That one entrance was guarded not by normal monster girls, but by his companions. Two wraiths, a raiju, and an erinys. Fuegin had so many companions, he could use them as normal guards. He must have entire platoons worth of one type of companion-level monster girls.

He had fifty years of killing builders.

I watched through the scrying disc as Fauraliiithiliana continued her research inside the library. So far, she was safe. I needed a plan to get her out. Something daring. I watched the city itself. The occupation was mostly peaceful. He pacified the people, killing guards when they resisted, but when they surrendered, his monster girls took them prisoner.

No mass executions.

No needless killings.

His monster girls intimidated the population, but they didn’t commit acts of violence. Didn’t round them up. No mass executions. The people moved about in the streets albeit hurrying in fear. They could still shop. Food was provided. He didn’t loot.

So I was stuck with the problem of getting Fauraliiithiliana out of the city. I would have to attack the city. Elves would die. The situation would devolve fast. The civilian casualties would mount. This wasn’t a city being butchered. A people in need of immediate liberation.

That was the problem.

I could justify what I did in Myrecilla because of the immediate threat to the people Tuerien was executing. Same with Sharithin who had begged me for liberation. They were being brutalized, too. Fuegin wasn’t like them. It was still wrong what he was doing, but now it felt like the city was being held hostage against me.

Fara was being held hostage, and he didn’t even know she was mine.

My monster girls and others watched the city. Plans were drawn up. Ideas debated. We had spotted a lot of monster girls, mostly the unique ones. He definitely had multiples of all of them. He must have killed a hundred or more builders.

He must have a hundred or more mana veins.

“Lord Leo, there has been a complication,” Fara said in my mind as Hagane and Morana debated the merits of an ambush of the gate guards.

“I thought you were almost done?” I answered, my stomach sinking.

“Pretty much. I have good leads on all of the swords, but…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fauraliiithiliana stared up at Fuegin, trying to keep calm. She closed her journal as the dungeon builder smiled at her. “Fuegin finally recognized me.”

Fauraliiithiliana had used the confusion of Fuegin ordering the librarians to research about the Incarnation and the First Builder, to find some way to fulfill her orders. It had given the elven scholar the cover she needed to finish her research.

Then he had spotted her.

“After his raid to disable the Lightning Ward, I expected Leo to attempt to liberate this town like he has in the past, but he has driven no tunnels beneath the city. I’ve been moving mine around, and I have not run into any dungeon.”

“Fuck, he’s really found you?” asked Lord Leo.

“I am afraid so. He is surprised you have not attempted to liberate the city.”

“I will save you,” Lord Leo said in that gallant way of his. “Don’t you worry.”

“No, no, it’s you that he risked himself for,” Fuegin continued. “He came for you but was unmasked and had to flee before he could save you. He only took down the barrier in case he failed to get you out.”

“Yes,” she said, gripping her quill

“So why are you here?”

She presses her quill down on her book and focused. The phoenix quill was imbued with fire magic. It could burn words into pages, but there was another function. A way to keep a scholar’s work from falling into the wrong hands.

A builder’s hands.

Her journal erupted into flames. It hurt destroying her life’s work, but copies remained in the dungeon. Fuegin arched an eyebrow as in a heartbeat, only ash remained of her journal. She sipped her quill back into her pocket, stared up at Lord Fuegin, and waited for his reprisal. She would join her ancestors in paradise.

Fuegin stared at the pile of ash. “He’s going to come for you.”

“If he’s smart, he won’t.”

“No, he’ll come for you.” Fuegin motioned to the monster girl behind him. A fomorian. “Come with me.”

“I will save you, Fara,” Lord Leo promised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That is what Fuegin wants,” Fara said.

I sank down in my chair as the others stared at me, waiting for news. “He has her. He wants me to come and rescue her.”

“And Fara told you not to,” said Hagane. She cocked her head to the side. “Yes, yes, she is quite insistent that you not attempt a rescue.”

“We have to save her,” Alizee said.

“Of course we do,” Mrs. Lucina said, her halo quivering.

Garnet jumped to her feet. “Yes, yes, big bro will rescue her. He won’t let any of his women be captured.”

“It’s important that we save her,” Ms. Trueno said. “She knows everything.”

“She will eventually tell him all she knows,” Crystal said. “I doubt she can resist Siren Wail. We can’t let Fuegin learn what she knows.”

“So, what, kill her?” Maya asked, her body rippling with anger.

“I didn’t say that!” Crystal raised her icy hands, fog spilling off her fingers. “But once he learns about the Shrines, he will go for them. There are shrines in his territory. Or near it. We have to go to war with him.”

“Can we?” asked Nina Naughty. She had piles of papers before her, copies of what Fara had researched. “He can field an army of companions. Of devils and ice sprites and undines.”

“Then let’s sneak her out,” said Alizee. “We can do that.”

“I’m for the war,” Munjan said. “Let’s attack him. It’s three builders on one.”

I leaned back in my chair. I didn’t feel up to fighting Fuegin. He scared me. He had such power. Such raw strength. I barely survived Tuerien, and only because of Siwang’s daring plan. That wouldn’t work on Fuegin. His dungeon was massive and so far away. I had no idea where his Vault was in the literal hundreds of miles of tunnels.

“Perhaps we can send an assassin to kill Fara,” suggested Hagane in her cold, metallic voice. “Ask her if she would rather die than betray you.”

I stared at my animated statue in horror. “I am not killing anyone I care about!”

“You could be dooming us all. Once Fuegin knows you have two of the goddesses, he’ll try to seize them. We act now, or we prepare for total war with a dungeon builder who is more powerful than us.”

“Let’s assassinate Fuegin!” Halia said. “Hit him in his dungeon. He has his forces here, let’s invade him and crush his Void Crystal.”

“It worked with Tuerien,” Munjan said.

“Maybe.” I glanced at the scrying sensor. “His dungeon is far from here. We have no idea where his Vault is. If we attack his dungeon, he could kill Fara before we could liberate her. If we attack, it has to be the library so we can liberate Fara.”

“He could kill her when we launch the raid,” Hagza said. The dwarf shrugged. “But there’s not much we can do. It’s the risk we have to take to save her.”

“It has to be a raid,” I said. “We have to ready to get her back. Maybe…” An idea popped into my head. I reached out telepathically to my scholar. “Fara, would the leaders of your people be amendable to an alliance?”

“I have no idea,” she answered sounding so much calmer than she should be. “I am being held in a store room in the back of the library. I have a cyclops standing guard over me with her hammer ready to kill me. Perhaps I should provoke her?”

“No!”

“It is best if I perish. I have discussed this with Hagane.”

I glared at Hagane again. “I’m bringing you back. Who leads your nation?”

“The Eld Council may or may not be amenable. I cannot say. If the city wasn’t occupied, I would say no, but desperate times breed strange friendships.”

“Where are they?”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Halia wore an elven cloak as she stepped out on the street. She wore her black hair loose to cover her ears and hide that she wasn’t an elf. She had to be careful. Move with stealth. If she was exposed… Well, she would force Fuegin to revive a few of his monster girls.

She wanted to kill him. To go straight for the threat, but Leo was a cautious man. He didn’t want to endanger lives more than necessary. Sadly, Fuegin was hiding his true colors. He restrained himself from his normal excesses.

No burning the city.

No slaughtering the inhabitants for daring to defy him.

Nyias and Kelias had suffered when he conquered them fifty years ago. It was all a ruse. A ploy to keep Leo from doing what was necessary. Fuegin used his reputation to terrorize Halia’s Lord. He was a good man.

She loved that about him, but he didn’t understand Fuegin. He was a monster that had to be slaughtered. There could be no negotiating with him. No compromise. This was the right way. Use the local elves. Get their aid in liberating their city.

Metallic footsteps rang. Halia pressed herself into the shadow of an alley, holding her breath. A squad of animated armors led by a hysminai walked past. A deadly warrior, a hysminai. Halia would have gladly traded blows, but she was on a mission.

And she was alone.

She kept moving, leaving behind the one building that Leo had secured in the city. He had moved carefully, so aware that Fuegin was looking for excess tunneling. Leo had kept his right beneath the surface, following the sewers of the city. He destroyed those, but he had arrived at a building close to where the Eld Council should be hiding.

Trees abounded in the city with many buildings constructed in their boughs, but they were smaller homes. The important structures were built on the ground out of stone. They were too large to risk putting in trees.

Griffins flew overhead. Patrols of the swift wind monster girls zipped about as Halia walked amid the others in the city. Several werefoxes bounded through the trees, their red fur contrasting with the green of the trees.

Maybe they weren’t unique companions, but were in fact just Level 1 monster girls. There had to be plenty of companions that had refused to follow someone as evil as Fuegin. Leo probably knew that, but he didn’t want to assume they were the weaker variety.

A patrol of dullahans rode by, their heads on their necks, but they could be thrown at any moment. Halia just cringed like the other elves did, lowering her head and biting back the gall of this. She waited for them to pass.

“There should be an alley on your left between a building of red bricks and one of gray stones,” Fara said in Halia’s mind. “Slip down it. The door is at the end on the right.”

Halia slipped down the alley between those two buildings and came to the door in the stone structure. She knocked on it and stood there, fighting her nerves. She straightened, her cloak about her. She had Stormlight strapped to her side, concealed by the robe.

The door opened. “Human?”

“I bear a message for the Eld Council,” she said.

The elf on the other side stared at her. The sides of his head were shaved. He had square shoulders. For a human, he would be slender and effeminate, but for an elf, he held a certain warrior strength about him.

“From?” he asked.

“Lord Leo.”

His eyes narrowed and he muttered something in Elvish that sounded foul. He went to close the door. She caught it. He glared at her, his eyes burning with such hatred in them. They shone with a foul rage. He despised her lord.

“He wishes to give his aid against Fuegin’s conquest and help in liberating the elves.”

“A builder?” The sneer on the elf’s face boiled Halia’s blood.

“And?” she asked. “Do you want allies, or to remain beneath Fuegin’s boot?”

He opened the door all the way and motioned her to enter. She did and found three elves openly wearing light chainmail made of a fine mesh that looked as thin as paper and yet held a strength. They wore swords on their hips, each one possessing a bronze magic circle in place of a pommel.

“There should be guards,” Fara said. “Warrior-mages who use their swords to channel their magic.”

“Three of them,” Halia said. “They’re taking me to the Eld Council.”

“This way, human,” one said, his eyes burning with contempt.

They led her to stairs. She descended, her cloak billowing around her. She reached the bottom, the floor hard-packed earth covered in old carpets in places. A table lay in the center where four elves sat. They glanced up at her. Three were old with gray or white hair while the fourth was relatively young. It was hard to judge an elf’s age since even the oldest had smooth faces, no wrinkles. Only the graying hair indicated their advanced years. The younger man could be Halia’s age, though he possessed a maturity in his eyes.

He felt like… her father’s age.

He rose, wearing brown robes, and extended his hand. “I am Caeriathiasil, Elder of the Builders.” He clasped her wrist, and she did the same, the pair shaking. “It is a pleasure to meet the daughter of Anguin.”

“And a pleasure to meet you.” Halia’s spirits lifted. Maybe this would work.

A gray-haired and slender elf woman in blue robes rose next. Her ancient eyes fell on Halia. “I am Asharialiana Elder of the Rivers.”

They shook hands as the next elf rose. He had snowy hair and his pointed ears drooped. He wore green robes and introduced himself as Raseliavial, Elder of the Arbor. The last elder was Hamaelianith, Elder of the Rangers. A straight-back elf-man in gray robes that matched his hair. He had a military bearing only heightened by a burn scar on his cheek. Only he looked disapproving at her, even disgusted.

He shook her hand with a firm grip.

“We are all the Eld Council free,” said Raseliavial. He had a soft voice. “The Great Sage Hauwithialiana has been captured. I fear he has fallen to the tyrant.”

Halia nodded. She knew this from Fara. “My lord wishes to an alliance with you against Fuegin. To drive the builder from your lands.”

Hamaelianith sneered. “With us?” He stared at Halia like she sickened him. His delicate nose twitched. “It sickens me that the daughter of Anguin Vobria serves a builder.”

Anger burned through her. “I serve a good man. A noble man! Not a villain like the one who has invaded your lands and conquered your city.”

“Fuegin holds it for now,” said Asharialiana. “He struck at our heart, bypassing our secondary defenses, but we have other weapons.”

“We will drive him out,” Hamaelianith said. Unlike the others, he had not sat.

“And my Lord wishes to aid you in that task.”

“Why?” Asharialiana asked. “So we can bend the knee to him like rumors claim the King of Myreman has.”

“King Thanitis swore to Lord Leo because my master helped to liberate Myrecilla from the brutal rule of Tuerien Ironbane.”

“That is true,” Caeriathiasil said. The young Elder of Builders looked far more eager for the alliance than the older members.

“You are very well informed,” Halia said.

“Yes,” said the eldest. Raseliavial leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped together. His voice had the reedy quality of the age, but his face still looked as smooth as a young man’s. “How can we trust any builder? Especially since Leo has trespassed in our territory.”

“Trespassed!” Hamaelianith nearly trembled with anger, the scar on his cheek twisting beneath his fury “He sent a spy! That traitor Fauraliiithiliana returned to ferret something for your lord out of our library. That is why he wants to help us.”

“He already has what he sent Fauraliiithiliana to discover,” said Halia. No point in denying it. “Now he wishes to meet with you and negotiate an alliance.”

“So he can use Siren Wail to dominate our thoughts?” Asharialiana asked, her eyes boring into Halia’s.

“He wouldn’t do that!” Halia fought hard to control her anger. “He is not that sort of man.”

“Easy to say, but you are his thrall,” Raseliavial said. The aged elf sighed. “Nothing you say can be trusted to be your own words. You very well might be so deep under Leo’s thrall that you do not even realize you are a slave.”

Caeriathiasil’s face fell. The youngest of the elders said, “That is true. How do we know he isn’t intending to make us into his slaves? Fuegin has done so to the member of our council he has captured, and a great evil has happened because of that enslavement.”

“My lord does not use magic to compel people to serve him. He is followed by us because he is beloved. Do you think he has used Siren Wail on an entire city? It does not work that way.”

“No,” said Asharialiana, Elder of Rivers. “But with the Siren Call ritual, he can dominate an entire city. You do not know the ritual, girl?”

Halia shook her head.

“It is like the Siren Wail, but it is a permanent enchantment over an area. Ultimate Magic. Few builders ever achieve it, but your lord has that level, has he not?”

“He… has…” Halia admitted. Lord Leo instructed her to be honest.

“Leo is too powerful,” the lady elder continued. “He has achieved a level of power where he is best ignored until he destroys himself.”

“Like Fuegin was ignored?” barked Halia, her rage burning hot again. “You’ve hidden in your forest, safe and sound, and allowed evil like him to fester. But now the builders have learned how to penetrate your defense. How are you going to dislodge Fuegin on your own.”

The four elders all smiled at her and did not answer.

Halia sighed. She had to convince them. “Please, he wants to be your friend. Not your lord. Not your conqueror. He wants to help liberate you. He can offer the army of Myreman to aid in your defense. He can have them here in an hour. Flood your city with soldiers and monster girls to drive back Fuegin. With your help and coordination, you can re-establish your protection and drive out Fuegin.”

Asharialiana studied Halia. “Your Lord removed the Bracer of Binding from the Lightning builder, yes?”

Halia nodded slowly. “So that he could work to liberate your city and rescue Fauraliiithiliana.”

“If you and he come to us, and he is wearing that bracer so we can know he has no power, we will meet with him.”

“What?” demanded Hamaelianith. “You would treat with him?”

“If he is willing to seal his power during our meeting so we know he is not dominating us,” said Asharialiana.

“Yes, yes, that would be acceptable,” said the ancient elf. Raseliavial smiled.

Halia swallowed. “He will be helpless.”

“He will have you and that sword on your belt to guard him. The Blessed Blade of Light is a powerful artifact.” Raseliavial nodded. “Yes, yes, if he does that, if he shows us he has the humility, then we will ally with him.”

Halia closed her eyes and knew Leo would accept this deal. “I will speak with him.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Absolutely not!” Crystal shouted at me.

“This is so dumb, big bro!” Garnet added, her wings flapping wide.

“You cannot be this stupid!” Terra glared at me, her arms folded beneath her large, clay breasts. “This is a trap.”

“Yes, this is an obvious trap,” Munjan said. “Strip you of your power? You’ll be as helpless as a baby. I don’t want to die when they kill you.”

“It’s not a trap,” I said, staring at them all. This was the best opportunity we had. They just wanted assurances. “It’s an act of good faith. A step in building something positive with the elves.”
“Leo,” Mrs. Lucina said with a shake in her head.

“He has faith in people’s goodness,” Maya said and stepped up beside me. “And he’s going to do it anyways, so we just have to be ready in case things go bad.”

My mother nodded. “Yes, Leo. Show them who you are.”

“I love it!” Alizee jumped up and thrust her right arm in the air like she had a pompom. Her white hair flowed around her.

“I agree, this is a good idea,” Siwang said. He nodded at me from where he sat. “But we must be in position to protect you.”

“They won’t let monster girls inside the meeting,” said Hagane. Her reflective face fixed on me. “But we have the ghosts.”

“And my mother.” Siwang glanced at Xiongbu.

She nodded. “I would gladly be there to come to your rescue, Leo.”

“Then we can have dungeon exits to flood the city,” said Nina. “Fuegin can’t keep rotating his dungeon around. We have to move past. You put your level 3’s and 4’s ready to flood into the city to help them liberate it or, if things go wrong, we can transition into saving Fara and leave the elves to their fates. If they don’t want your help, then we just get Fara out and prepare our defenses. We have the location of the swords.”

“So just abandoned them to Fuegin?” Halia demanded, slamming her fist down. “Let him keep on living?”

“He’s not brutalizing the elves,” Nina said with a shrug. “Maybe if he was the tyrant from fifty years ago, but he’s not acting that way. Maybe he’s changed.”

“He’s Fuegin the Black Flame of Nyias!” Halia gained her feet, glaring at Nina. “The Razer of Kelias! He murdered my father!”

“Your father attacked him!”

I sighed as Halia snapped back, “My father was trying to slay an evil being!”

“Like Leo?” Nina asked calmly.

The words slapped Halia. She staggered, her anger faltering. “Lord Leo’s not evil. He’s good. He’s never razed a city.”

“Because I’m lucky.” I stared at the scrying sensor and at the peacefully occupied city. “I don’t agree with what Fuegin has done, but he is different from what he used to be. I’d rather not be his enemy. If he was butchering people in the streets, just executing them, or brutalizing them, that would be different. I would go to war with him, but…” I stared down at my right hand. “He extended me the hand of friendship. The first person to do that I met in this world. It’s why I extended a hand to Siwang. Fuegin inspired me to be better.”

Halia stared at me. At my hand. “My father…”

“Wasn’t killed by Fuegin for no reason. They were on opposite sides. Your father lost.” I moved around the table and enfolded Halia in my arms. “I understand your anger—I really do—but where does it end? Where does this cycle of violence stop?”

“I… Well…”

“Will you help me stop it, or will you keep perpetuating it?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halia shook in Lord Leo’s arms.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She hated Fuegin so much, but Leo was right. So much pain had been inflicted on this world. The reversal had to start somewhere. But Fuegin… He was so evil. He was just playing.

Right?

“Will you help me, Halia?” Lord Leo whispered in her ear.

She felt the others watching her. All those she had come to love. The ones she thought were evil. She closed her eyes and answered, “I’ll try. I can’t forgive him, but I’ll try to… set aside my hatred.”

“He hasn’t asked for forgiveness,” said Leo. “And I’m not asking you to forgive him. We live in an imperfect world.” His arms tightened around her for a moment. “Now let’s try to fix this.”

She nodded. “I’m with you, Lord Leo. I’m with you.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

I had my forces split up. I put my Level 2 monster girls under Smerta’s command to guard my dungeon. After that, I created four “pods,” large rooms that I filled with the teams of monster girls to intervene in the city if things went bad with the parley or if Fuegin discovered my presence.

My plan was to use my monster girls to first sow chaos in the city and even to enter Fuegin’s dungeon. All to give me cover while I tried to free Fauraliiithiliana. After that, we would retreat and figure out what to do.

Hopefully, the parley would be a success, and the Eld Council would work with me. They had a weapon to drive out Fuegin. That was interesting. I would help them in any way. This was better than a direct confrontation. Re-establish their barrier, then help them guard it better.

The pods would be arranged in a cross. North. South. East. And West. Each pod would have multiple teams under the command of a different one of my companions. I was splitting them up by elements for the most part. That seemed the best way.

So in the North Pod would be the Lightning, Dark, and Fire monster girls. Lana Fulmine would lead Ljosa, the thunderbirds, and the cherubim. Garnet would lead Isatu, the leprechauns, and the demons. Nina would command the phoenixes and the seraphim.

In the East Pod—the one closest to the library—I placed Ms. Trueno who would lead Vilkas, the sirens, and the kitsune. Crystal was in charge of Chara, the yetis, and the jotnar. Hagane would lead out the animated armors and the giants. Siwang wanted to help. I placed him with his companions—Guang, Lei, Yinfu, Caihong, Muyang, Jinzi, Shui, Tukeni, Savurma, Vejra, Skrige, Frosseta, Kyuuma, Kao—in this pod. He would lead them how he saw fit. He left behind his companion Mei to command his dungeon and help guard our base. His mother, of course, would be with the ghosts, Halia, and me.

In the South Pod, I placed Alizee with Paetu, the hippogriffs, and the griffins. Maya would lead Paanee, Agubnamus, and the kappas. Terra had Bjorni, the oreads, and the ogresses beneath her command.

I would enter the city from the West pod since it was close to the Eld Council. With me were Halia, Siwang’s ghosts, and Xiongbu. I also placed Mrs. Lucina who would lead Feya, the aos sithe, and the houris into battle. Mom would command Baaghi, the werewolves, and the hydras. Morana had Kassie, Hagza, the vampires, and the dullahans with her. The mages would be close to me just in case things went bad and I had to be evacuated.

Munjan I put in overall command of the dungeons. He would have Melin with him to move him about all three dungeons to deal with any threats that might come up. Fuegin must have us scouted out. He could have plans to invade us during an attack.

I first made the pods then I moved everyone into position to minimize the chance of Fuegin’s random searches to bump into my dungeon. I released my Void Crystal. Souleen blew me a good luck kiss as I raced to the teleport circle, the Bracer of Binding in the robe of my pocket.

I kept checking it to make sure I hadn’t lost it.

Smerta in the throne room watching the dungeon map glanced at me and nodded. “Good luck. Don’t let Fuegin bugger you.”

“I won’t,” I said. It was a strange thing to say.

“When you grab the bear by the balls, watch out for his cock!” she added.

Maybe it was a Russian saying. I don’t know.

I entered the magic circle room where Kassie awaited me on the appropriate circle. Munjan and Melin were there, the pair ready to move about the dungeon if we needed it. Munjan stared at me, his expression flat.

“This will work,” I told him as I stepped onto the circle.

“If it doesn’t…” He shrugged. “Well, I suppose the other me in the real world’s still alive.”

“It’ll work,” I said.

“Asud Gu!” Kassie chanted.

Light engulfed me.

I appeared in the West Pod where my monster girls turned to glance at me. My dryad-mommy was there, her green hair rustling. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. I savored the warmth of her mouth.

“Be safe,” she whispered when I broke it. “Come back to me.”

“I’ll watch over your son,” Xiongbu said, one mother talking to another.

“Please,” Mom said as she broke the hug.

“Take care, Leo,” Mrs. Lucina said, hugging me and kissing me. My hands gripped her rump as the married angel made out with me.

She broke it and Morana was there. My banshee dropped to her knees, her black mist spilling over her robes. “Awe and dominate the elves and show them your black majesty, Dark Lord.” She rose and threw her arms around my neck. “Let them see your power over life and death so they know they must serve such a mighty lord.”

She kissed me with her cold lips.

I groaned into her kiss and broke it.

“Better come back, Lord Leo,” Hagza said. The dwarven mage smacked me on the ass. She squeezed my rump through my robes. “Your ass is too cute to be lost.”

“Thanks,” I said, my cheeks burning from the words.

“Lord Leo,” the aos sithe whimpered. “Good luck.”

“Lord Leo,” Krvi, a vampire, said. They all licked their lips. “Do not waste a precious drop of your blood.”

“Nor lose your head,” added Konja, one of my two dullahans. “That’s our job.”

The werewolves growled, in their wolfish forms. The hydras nodded their many heads. Baaghi nuzzled her furred muzzle against mine, the tiger-headed rakshasa licking my lips with her rough tongue.

“Come back,” she said. “Hagza is right. You have a perfect butt.”

“Thanks,” I said as I nodded to Halia.

She marched up the ramp into the building. I followed her, the ghosts melting into the ceiling. Xiongbu trailed me. My heart pounded in my chest. I checked that I had the Bracer of Binding in my robe again. As Halia came to the door, the ghosts swept out into the street.

“It is safe, Lord Leo,” said Smirta, one of Siwang’s ghosts.

I stepped out and contemplated using Illusory Doppelganger. I bet I could fake the Bracer of Binding on it. Then there would be no risk of meeting them without my magic. I felt naked right now without any protection spells on me.

I discarded that idea for the dozenth time. If the elves had any way to see through illusions or any means of dispelling magical enchantments, I would be revealed as a liar and a trickster. They would have no faith in me. I had to do this. I could remove the Bracer once it was over. I was promised safe conduct.

The city crawled with monster girls. The ghosts peeked out through the walls and the street, keeping us clear of the worst patrols. I wore a cloak over my robes to hide who I was. Halia and I hurried fast. Just two people moving through the darkening streets. The sun set.

Finally, we reached the alley between the stone building and the brick building. This was it. Halia glanced at me as I pulled out the bracer. The Lightning Glyph, three arrows that formed a jagged S, gleamed on the metal. I opened it.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Fara says they will keep their word,” I said. “It’s all about trust, Halia. Sometimes, you have to be the one that shows you’re willing. If they betray us, the ghosts and you will make them regret it.”

“I will,” she said and touched her sword. “They think I have the Blessed Blade of Light. They are intimidated by it and…” She smiled. “If they do think they can counter it, they will be in for a shock when I unveil Stormlight.”

I chuckled. It lasted only for a moment. Stress bled it off me. I clapped the bracer down on my arm. It clicked into place. I took a deep breath. I didn’t feel any different. I stroked the metal and glanced at Halia.

“Can you hear me?” I sent.

“Yes, I can,” she said, smiling. “So it doesn’t limit all your powers.”

“Lightning crackle and hiss, gird me in the love of Lady Uttu!”

Static Aura didn’t engulf me. The spell just sort of fizzled. “Well, it works as advertised.” I lowered my arms, the sleeves falling over the bracers and hiding them. Should I have worn something with shorter sleeves? Well, I could push them back. “Let’s speak with the Eld Council.”

Halia nodded and marched down to the door. I followed her. The ghosts poked their heads out and moved off. I drew in a deep breath as I waited for them to be in position. I wiped sweaty palms off on my robe.

“We are ready, Leo,” Xiongbu reported.

I nodded to Halia.

She knocked.

The door creaked open. A suspicious elf peered out. “That’s him? The dungeon builder?”

“I am Leo,” I said simply.

The man opened the door. The three warriors with the magic swords were there. All in chainmail as Halia described. A fourth elf with a burn scar on his cheek stood behind them. Hamaelianith, Elder of the Rangers.

I pulled back the sleeve on my right arm and revealed the bracer. I extended my hand. The elder grasped me by the wrist. I did the same. A tingle raced through the bracer. He nodded in satisfaction, the tension melting out of him.

The guards relaxed, too.

“Brave of you, Lord Leo,” said Elder Hamaelianith.

“I am serious about this alliance,” I said as the elder moved aside.

The door closed behind us. The three warriors drew their swords. The motion surprised me so much, I didn’t even react. Halia did. Stormlight burst from its sheath. The radiance caught the elven warriors off-guard, blinding them.

“What?” I gasped, gathering my wits.

Halia slashed and struck one with Stormlight. The blade burst with lightning. The elf screamed as she cut him down. He fell twitching to the floor, a burned rent in his armor. Flesh smoked beneath as he gurgled and died.

Another thrust at me.

I dodged it as that knight cried, “Seg Ki-Se!”

I threw myself to the floor, the missile of ice slamming into the wall above me. I came up to my feet and reached for a weapon. I had none. I had no magic. I was unarmed as the third knight leveled his sword at me.

“Izi Zum!” he snarled.

Fire exploded from the tip of his sword.

Halia jumped into the path of the ball. It burst across the front of her armor.

“Lady Sherida, give me strength!” she screamed as the fire burned over her. It set her hair alight as she slashed Stormlight. She plunged her sword through the fire knight’s throat. He dropped his blade as lightning crackled.

A back door opened. More elven soldiers poured into the room as Halia charged at the ice knight, her hair blazing. Horrible burns covered her face and arms. She should be on the ground in pain, but Sherida girded her. Halia’s golden armor shone.

“No!” I shouted as Elder Hamaelianith lunged for me. I punched the elf in the face. He reeled back.

Halia’s crackling sword crashed into the ice knight’s blade. Lightning burst from the impact. The knight held, his chainmail coat rattling about him. Halia pressed down on him with murderous intent, burning hair falling around her.

“Amagi Dur!” the ice-knight cried.

An ax of ice flashed into existence and slammed into Halia’s side, crashing through her armor. Blood spilled out of the rent, frost steaming around the wound. She battered her sword into the ice-knight’s and broke his guard.

She cut off his head.

“Halia!” I screamed and rushed to her.

She staggered and dropped Stormlight. She fell into my arms, her blood soaking through my robe. Flames had ravaged her beautiful face. One of her eyes was gone, her skin blackened and red. Her cheekbone shone through

“Lord Leo,” she whispered in my mind, unable to speak.

“No,” I cried.

“Grab him!” snarled Elder Hamaelianith.

Xiongbu appeared through the wall. Her clawed fingers ripped through the Elder’s body. She tore him apart in a spray of blood. The ethereal ghosts spilled through the room from all directions, passing through the elven soldiers. They dropped dead where they stood.

Tears spilled down my cheeks. The words that could save Halia’s life echoed in my mind.

“Graven wounds pulse in pain, let the healing of Lord Dumazid flow!”

No power flowed out of me.

“Get the bracer off me!” I shouted, tears blinding my eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halia stared up at her Lord. She reached a burned finger and wiped away a tear, smearing blood and soot across his cheek. She tried to speak, but her lungs hurt. She had inhaled the fire. Her life ebbed from her. It poured out of the massive wound in her side.

“It was my honor to die for you, Lord Leo,” she sent.

“No, no, you can’t go!” he shouted, but his voice grew distant. The world darkened. He kissed her brow. “You can’t. You’re my paladin. Halia! Halia! Please! Someone, get this fucking bracer off me.”
The world grew darker. His shouts dwindled. The pain faded.

Halia fell into a great void. Not of darkness but of light. A woman was with her. Lady Sherida hugged her. Halia’s soul trembled in the arms of her Goddess. Such loving and tender arms. Halia relaxed into joy.

She had saved her lord. Her love.

Lady Sherida carried Halia away.

To be continued…

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