Chapter Eight
I created a simple tunnel to get out of the mountain. My hunger was growing. I needed to eat something. From the throne room, I imagined a tunnel that ran out about ten feet then went south until it cleared my throne room. I turned it west towards the nearest side of the mountain.
"Make a little cave. Something natural" whispered Souleen as I did. She floated on the Void Crystal before me as I worked. "Then deploy your will o' wisps to guard your dungeon while you're gone."
I nodded and made a cave that broached the side of the mountain. The irregular terrain swept back about thirty feet then butted into a door. A stout one, made of metal that was locked. Only I had the key. Behind it, I formed a guard room. I pictured Sviesos and her sister will o' wisps stationed there, ready to fight and protect my dungeon.
The black energy rippled out from me. It spilled through the air and shaped reality. I clutched tight to the crystal as it happened. I felt it burning bright. I smiled at that. I was so glad to shape things. To mold my dungeon and extend its reach even further.
"Oh, my, they're gone," Lana Fulmine gasped. "Sviesos? Zaibas."
"They're fine," I said, my stomach rumbling. "Right, Souleen?"
"Of course, they're fine," she said. She giggled. "You wouldn't hurt them. They are where you positioned them, ready to fight and protect your dungeon."
"Okay." I glanced at Lana. "We need clothing."
I clutched at the Void Crystal. It could make all manner of things. I pictured a heavy robe made of gray for Lana to hide her outlandish appearance. Mostly. She would stand out in it, but she might not be seen as inhuman. She could fold her wings and, hopefully, not stand out. For myself, I went with a pair of heavy boots, wool pants, a shirt, and a vest. It all flashed into appearance on the floor at our feet.
Lana picked hers up, this look crossing her face. "This is for
me
to wear?" Disapproval dripped from her lips.
"Sorry," I said, grabbing my new pants and pulling them on. They felt so different from modern clothing. The stitching was thick and it had no zipper or fastener, just lacings that I had to knot up. "I need to hide you. Unless you want to stay here."
"What, no!" she gasped. "Who's going to watch out for you?"
"I thought so," I said. I knew I wanted the company. I had this magic, but this was a new world. It would be strange. Unusual. I wasn't quite sure I knew where to go.
I laced up the pants and then pulled on the shirt. It felt baggy and had a V-neckline, the collar dangling loose. Over that, I pulled on the vest. The socks were knitted wool that stretched around my feet. They were thicker than I was used to wearing. I shoved my feet into the leather boots and laced them up. They felt comfortable. Like they were meant to fit my feet.
Well, I did make them for me.
Lana, still grimacing, pulled on her robe. Her wings folded around her body. It fit her, though was bulky, hiding her curves and her silver skin. She pulled up the hood, looking almost like a friar. But her face and hands were still so obvious.
"Try to keep your hands tucked into the sleeves of your robe," I said. "And keep that hood drawn. Maybe no one will realize you have silver skin."
"I could just embrace being a monster girl," she said. "Strut in a stylish Loro Piana maxi dress."
"Or a pair of booty shorts like Jane Dangerous wears?" I asked.
"I know you would love to see me in that," Lana purred. "Mmm, my number-one fan would jizz all over those booty shorts before peeling them off my ass and sodomizing me hard and fast. Then I would cum so hard."
My dick throbbed. It was so tempting, but my stomach growled.
"Maybe later," I said, wanting to see her in the outfit of her most iconic role before I did just what she said. God, I could jerk off onto that peachy butt, coating those khaki booty shorts in my jizz before ripping them off and going to town on her ass. But I was getting hungrier by the minute.
I found the gold coins in my loot chest and tucked them into the vest's inner pocket. It was why I went with it. I had heard that about visiting cities, especially as a tourist. Never keep your wallet in a back pocket of your pants. Make it somewhere hard to get at.
I liked the idea.
I felt the coins as I held out my arm to my robed Lana Fulmine. She took it with grace and we walked out of the Vault and through my bedroom. We passed into the empty living room, the hallway to the throne room, then the even longer hallway out to the surface. I had a great deal of space to play with.
To built a proper dungeon.
In my mind, I already was laying it out. Ideas popped into my mind about dead ends. Traps. Even baited treasure. Maybe put something nice for the heroes to find to think they had cleared it and leave without finding the heart of my dungeon. I pictured what video game makers did in RPGs.
Soon, we reached the guard room and the heavy door that led out. Sviesos and her fellow will o' wisp sisters stood alert. They were naked, but they weren't posing sexy. They took their role seriously. Their faces hard.
"They won't get past us, Lord Leo," Sviesos said with triumph ringing in her voice. Her bluish body glowed bright for a moment.
Zaibas, Kibir, and Svyte all nodded their agreement. They were ready to fight for me. I smiled at them, encouraged by their fervor. I drew out the key from around my neck. It was on a long chain of gold. It was a gleaming skeleton key. I thrust it into the metal door's lock and twisted it. I pulled it inward, the hinges hardly even creaking.
Daylight spilled in from the mouth of the cave. Greenery beckoned beyond, the bright colors contrasting with the grays of the cave. The floor was uneven. Stalactites reared down from the ceiling, dripping with water. A pool lay in the corner, the water so clear it was almost invisible. After locking the door, Lana and I crossed the cave and stepped out into the daylight.
A grove of trees grew before us, half-screening the entrance to the cave. Thick brush grew around it, helping to disguise it more. We pushed through it and found a meadow that stretched down the slope. A valley lay beyond, the land cultivated. I could see farms growing crops in rows. Smoke rose from the center. That must be the village.
It didn't look far. I was wrong.
It took a few hours to walk there. My stomach grew emptier and emptier as we descended the mountainside. At the far end of the meadow we found a trail, perhaps a woodcutter's trail, that led down the mountain. Lana and I descended it, the sun rising. It looked like we'd set out in mid-morning. Nine or ten o'clock. The path wound us down the forested slopes for an hour, a gleam of sweat crossing my face.
Then it widened out into the farmland, and we found a proper road. It was made of dirt and rutted by wagon tracks, but it led us towards that village we spotted. We passed farms, the men working the fields in dirt smeared clothing. They were ripping up weeds, throwing them on squares of burlap with handles on opposite corners. They glanced at us, giving us suspicious looks, before they returned to their weeding. Livestock was penned around the farmsteads, often built on little rises. Buildings made of wooden frames with white painted walls stood in between, the roofs covered in golden straw. When I saw a woman, she was around the farmhouse, wearing a dress with a kerchief over her head.