Dungeon Builders Harem Book 01 Ch 20

Chapter Twenty

The knife hacked for my throat.

My training paid off. I ducked beneath it and darted to the right. The pain in my back throbbed. He'd punched his dagger through my body. Blood soaked my robe. I grabbed my throne to steady myself.

The rogue grinned at me. He had this look of satisfaction on his face as he advanced on me, my blood dripping from the dagger. I had to regain control of this situation. I had to somehow talk to these adventurers.

"Wait!" I shouted. "We don't have to fight."

His smile grew. "Do you think we'll be merciful? To one of your foul ilk? Butchers of villages! Pillagers of cities! Leechers of mana! You and your dungeons are all blights upon this world! No matter how long it takes, we shall cleanse you all!"

The anger. The vitriol slapped me. How could I overcome this and make peace? I needed a new plan. I needed to get one of them alone. Talk to them. Convince them that I wasn't a threat. I had to do something about the others.

The rogue rushed in, knife slashing.

I used the cut haft of my spear to knock it aside as I chanted,

"Darkness hides and shadows conceal, let the curse of Lord Zuen fall!"

The shadowy magic rushed out of me and splashed across his face. He gasped and stumbled away. His knife slashed wildly before him. I retreated, the pain in my back throbbing worse and worse. It rushed up my body.

"Milies!" the rogue shouted. "I need a dispel! Milies!"

I glanced over at the cleric and...

He was masturbating?

He stared at my sister and jerked off his cock through his robe. He drooled at her as she preened and posed, wiggling her rump at him, her tail swishing back and forth. She giggled in this playful manner, completely oblivious to the fighting going on.

She had him distracted, though.

Usiku and the female fighter clashed swords. I glanced at her. I had to capture one of them. I think I could hold one. The fighter. Then I could figure out how to win her to my side. If I just showed her I wasn't evil, that I was a good person, then this would work.

I rushed around the throne, gritting my teeth against the pain. It throbbed up my back. Blood soaked my robes. The sodden mess clung to me. The thief had hit me in a vital spot. I glanced at Lana. She wasn't moving. I swallowed. I could revive her. I could bring her back. Her soul was tied to the Void Crystal and the glyph on my chest.

Usiku's naked breasts heaved as she fought back the warrior. The woman was skilled, putting my fomorian on the defense. Usiku barely kept that buzzing blade from finding her flesh. I moved up behind them.

"Sizzling touch, the spark of pain, let the prowess of Lord Enlil stun!"

I chanted and rushed in, thrusting my hand out before me.

She whirled around and swung her sword at me. The buzzing blade rushed down at me.

"Lord Leo!" Usiku cried and threw herself at the warrior.

Usiku's dark-purple hand grabbed the warrior's wrist, pulling her sword stroke short moments before it cut into my face. My hand planted on the fighter's tits a fraction of a second later. Sparks flared around my fingers.

The woman didn't make a sound. She just collapsed, every muscle in her body going limp. Her wrist ripped out of Usiku's grip. The enemy lay in a stunned heap on the ground, her arms limp. I sucked in deep breaths.

A shout roared from the right. The rogue stumbled at us, thrusting his weapon wildly before him. Usiku side-stepped his blow and smacked her hand into his face. He staggered back, blood streaming from his nose.

"Shall I dispatch him, Lord Leo?" asked Usiku.

"No!" I roared. "We need to get them out of here. Alive."

"Let me do that, big bro," Garnet said. She skipped over to the rogue like we were on the playground. The cleric groaned and stumbled after her, still working at his cock beneath his robe, staring at her with lust in his eyes. "Just a little bit of this..."

She threw her fingers forward and splashed shadows across the rogue's face. Then she giggled. A girlish, seductive sound. The rogue whirled his head around, staring in her general direction. He groaned.

"Yes, yes, you know you want me, big boy," she cooed. "Mmm, you want to touch my nubile body. My sexy tits. My cute rump."

"Yes," groaned the cleric.

"Harlot," moaned the rogue. "Your voice... That siren voice... No... No... I can't..."

"Mmm, you want me. You want me so much. Just drop that dagger and follow my voice. I'll give you such a treat."

The rogue did that. He dropped his weapon, under the control of my little sister's succubus charm. Both of the men were. She led them across the room, giggling and chortling. They passed through the open door.

"Lord Leo?" asked Usiku. She came up behind me and pressed her hand into the wound. "This is bad."

"And I can't heal until they're out of the dungeon and..." I stared down at the stunned woman. "Great. I can't do anything with her in here. This won't work at all."

"Won't work?" asked Usiku as she pressed harder on my wound.

I groaned against the pain.

"She's a foreign soul. I can't change the dungeon when it's under attack."

Right, Souleen?

I sent.

Yes, you can't affect it when there's a conscious soul in your dungeon,

she said.

So no way to take prisoners, huh?

Then I frowned.

You said conscious soul. You mentioned that last time, didn't you?

Yes, their conscious awareness locks reality,

she said.

The only other way to change things if they're not bound to the soul is if you have them imprisoned. But you need to be able to affect things to make a cell.

Unless they're unconscious,

I said staring down at the warrior.

She can't resist reality changes because her will is suppressed.

That's true,

Souleen said.

I thought that was implied when I said

conscious soul

during my explanation.

Went right over my head.

I glanced at Lana's body.

Is Lana's soul in there with you?

She's sleeping and dreaming of you,

Souleen answered, her words gentle and motherly.

She is in no pain. Do not worry.

I sighed. It was only myself I had to really worry about.

I glanced at the map, the pain growing inside of me. The knife wound was deep. It bled out my life. Usiku kept her hand pressed on it while I leaned on her. Garnet led the two enemies out of the dungeon. It took forever.

"Vault," I muttered to Usiku. "They're almost out. Need to get there... Before..."

"I have you, Lord Leo," she said. "If we just killed them..."

"More would come," I said, clutching to her and stumbling. My feet felt so cold. My fingers numb. If I hadn't strengthened my body, I probably would have collapsed. The pain twisted through me. "Eventually, we'll lose. It's... just the odds... Better to keep from being invaded. Best way to protect... you... The others..."

"Don't be concerned about us," Usiku said. "You're the one who really matters. We all die with you."

"Unless another dungeon builder kills me." I glanced at her. "You loved Mthunzi. Now you love me."

"You're my owner," she said. "Of course, I love you."

"Garnet will love the builder who kills me," I whispered.

"She loved you before she came here," Usiku said. "I know that. We've talked."

"Lana didn't."

"She had never met you." Usiku paused. "You're someone worth loving, Lord Leo. Mthunzi... I did love him, but he wasn't a good man. He was cruel. He delighted in his power. It went to his head. He came here to take your lightning from you so he could be stronger. You wouldn't do that. I'd rather be yours than his."

"You're not just saying that because I'm bleeding to death?"

"No." Her hand tightened on me. "I'm really not. You are someone worth loving, Leo. Lana recognizes that. So does Garnet. And all your monster girls, too. Your will o' wisps and wildhounds adore you. Worship you. They know you care for them. They know they aren't just things you'll throw away needlessly and replace when you get better monster girls."

"Thanks," I said as we stumbled through the bedroom. The Void Crystal was just ahead. Through the door.

"Garnet, are they out of the dungeon yet?"

"Just about,"

my sister sent back.

"They're so pathetic. Just drooling over me. It's hot. They have small dicks. I'll send them off stumbling into the woods naked. No gear or anything. They'll have to start over from scratch when my charm wears off."

"Good,"

I grunted. They would come for the warrior woman.

Usiku opened the door with her free hand. The Void Crystal hummed away, drinking in the mana. Would it really drain this world and leave it a husk? Was I slowly killing off this planet or something by being here?

"Lord Leo," Souleen said. She rose from the gem and floated in the air. "You're hurt! Oh, grab the Void Crystal. Hurry."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, my words slurring. I gripped the gem with numb fingers. I could barely feel its faceted surfaces.

"Okay, they're out, big bro,"

Garnet said.

"Off to stumble naked in the woods. Poor trees. I just know they're going to molest them."

"Good," I growled and grabbed the crystal. I concentrated.