Chapter Thirty-Eight
"Well?" Lana Fulmine asked, her lightning wings twitching. An eagerness filled the lightning sprite. "What has my number one fan come up with?"
"Yes, yes, yes, tell us, big bro," Garnet begged, the exuberant succubus bouncing up and down on her throne.
She can never sit still,
thought Lana Fulmine.
She would never survive making movies. So much tedious waiting.
"I'm going to parley with the dwarves," Leo said. He had an eager grin on his face. He slapped his hands together. "I've been meaning to do this, and now is the perfect time."
"Okay," said Mrs. Baldwin. "That's a wonderful idea, honey."
"You need an honor guard," Terra said.
"Yes!" gasped Garnet. "Let's use the arachne. They're so impressive."
"And scared of their own shadows," said Crystal. "Like the unicorns."
"We can be his escort," Morana said. "Dark Lord Leo, we shall surround you with beauty and deadliness. The dwarves will be enchanted by our charms and bow to your whim."
"I do have charms," Alizee said, smiling.
"No, no," Maya said. "We're too... monstrous."
"I'm not that monstrous," Morana gasped. "I'm just pale. But I was pale in life, too."
"And bleeding black shadows." Maya shook her head, her entire body rippling with water.
"The werewolves and werebears," Leo said, grinning. "In human form, they don't look like monsters at all."
Maya nodded. So did Nina and Hagane.
"It is a great plan," Lana Fulmine said, completely behind this.
"You need a rear guard," Hagane said. "In case the dwarves attack. A quick reaction force to come to your rescue on standby."
"Good point." Leo stared at the lightning sprite. The movie starlet blinked. "Lana, you'll lead them."
"Me?" Shock crackled through her body as lightning danced between the golden strands of her hair.
"Yes, you," I said. "You'll lead... the salamanders, sirens, and oreads. That should be perfect. If I run into trouble, you'll be there to come to my rescue. And, of course, Garnet can be with you. All of you can."
Lana Fulmine swallowed. She glanced at Leo. Her number one fan believed in her. She was the first companion he had chosen. He had picked her before his little sister and Maya. She had to be responsible. She wasn't that coked-out actress drifting through life.
She had importance here.
"I won't fail my number one fan," Lana Fulmine cooed.
"Of course not," Leo said. "I have some dungeon building to do, then we'll get this done." He glanced to the right. "Halia, Kassie, and Akiz, you'll come with us."
"Course, my Lord," Akiz said. "It'll be great. My people will want to crush me beneath two slabs of granite."
"But you're not brittle sandstone, are you?" Leo asked.
Akiz laughed.
Lana Fulmine smiled. This would go better than dealing with those adventurers. She had no idea what Leo planned on doing with those three dwarves. They were certainly adamant about not serving him. But so had Halia once upon a time.
A smile spread on the lightning sprite's lips as she remembered how defiant Halia had been in her prison. She had refused everything. It took Leo setting her free then rescuing the captured maidens of Astovin from that disgusting Jindag to win her over.
"Let's get to work," Leo said and marched towards the door
* * / *
Halia Vobria hardly stumbled when she found herself standing in a different part of the dungeon.
"Bugger the earth with my big dick!" Akiz cursed, stumbling before catching his balance. "I hate when he does that."
"Poor dwarf," said Cheekha, one of the werewolves. She patted the top of his head. "Do you need me to rub your belly like a pup to make you feel better?"
"Oh, there's a part of me you can rub," he said with a big leer.
Halia rolled her eyes as Cheekha snarled, a rumbling growl. Her golden eyes blazed. She shook her head, her fall of dark-gray hair spilling down her back. "I'm Lord Leo's bitch, not yours."
"Worth a try," Akiz said. "Hard being surrounded by all you naked monster girls." He glanced to Bhaaloo. "Damn, you got tits as big as a dwarf on you."
"I know," the werebear said. "Sadly, you'll have to use your own hand. Our tits are not to be soiled on your dick."
"But I can stare at them," Akiz said. He shook his head. "Need to find me a nice, plump dwarf to take for wife with big, fat titties to fuck."
"I wish you well on that," Halia said, rolling her eyes. She put her hand on her pommel.
Her sword... vibrated.
She frowned at that. It always had a hum when she drew it, but now it was quivering even more. She glanced to her right. The tunnel led to the geode with the Light Glyph shining in it. Halia stroked her sword.
Is it resonating with the glyph?
More monster girls appeared in the room. Lana Fulmine, the rest of the companions, and the salamanders, oreads, and sirens. Akiz grinned at the newcomers. He ran his eyes over the gorgeous forms of the sirens. Fara leaned against the wall and pulled out her book. She wrote in it, her eyes distant, her long and pointed ears hardly twitching.
Halia opened her mouth to mention the sword vibrating to Fara when light flashed to the left. Lord Leo, Kassie, Vilkas, the prisoners, and the monster girls holding them captured appeared on the teleportation circle. He wore his gray robes, Kassie in her blue trimmed in red. She looked excited as she followed him to them.
"I've never done a parley before," Kassie said.
"This will be momentous," said Fara. She closed her book and slipped it and her phoenix quill into the pocket of her green dress. She went naked around the dungeon, but not today.
"Cheekha, your werewolves lead the way," Leo said. "Bhaaloo, you're behind us. Halia, on my right. Kassie, my left. Fara and Akiz behind me. Vilkas, be ready to bring out the prisoner on my command."
"Yes, my Lord," Vilkas said.
Halia nodded to her lord, her heart beating fast as she fell in at her lord's side. Her sword quivered in her scabbard. She glanced to the right once more, but then Leo was ordering them forward. It was time to forge an alliance with the dwarves enslaved by the Twins.
Time to spread Lord Leo's influence even further.
