09

*As usual, any feedback is appreciated, and this series is very fetish-specific. Enjoy*

Chapter 7

The first floor is nothing like you imagined. It is nothing like you ever

could

have imagined, not in a thousand years. You didn't really know what to expect, that much is true, but you had some semblance of an idea. Maybe an area so dark and eerie that most would be too afraid to enter. Ghosts, blades, creatures of unbelievable ferocity. Watchdogs, traps and other such defences. But none of that existed here. As the doors open to reveal the final and first floor of this humongous dungeon, they reveal a luxurious area, resembling a... What is it called, a marketplace? Shops, taverns, a hospital and a law enforcement building. It was like an entire town had been set up underground, and all the shopkeepers, lawmen and such seem to simply be the most intelligent and highly trained individuals in your lord's army. You can't help but snort at the sight of a goblin, musclebound and imposing despite his size, dressed in an apron and a lopsided chef's hat. A troll wearing a ridiculously oversized guard's uniform, or a ghoul dressed as a priest, ready to welcome people into a small chapel.

The insanity and strangeness of it all brings an awestruck smile to your face, wrinkling the edge of your eyes before you notice your lord looking at you intently. He seems ecstatic at your reaction. You blush but can't stop smiling as the two of you walk through the immaculate paved streets. You observe the shop windows, the armourer's wares and a whole other variety of items. Most of it is of an impressive quality, whether it be the potions, the armour, the magical tomes or the food and drink. Clothes to rival the most beautiful dresses of aristocrats, jewellery worth more than small village; everything you see is crafted to perfection and displayed for all to see.

"There are more affordable items in the shops, for those silly adventurers that believe anything can be done if they try." Terenim smiles absently as he speaks, as if lost in thought.

You look at all of this in awe as well as slightly growing confusion and nearly walk in front of a carriage. It's being pulled along by two spiders about as tall as you are, their smooth legs clattering on the cobblestones as they hurry along. You look behind them and find that the coach is a smaller, skinny goblin who seems to be having the time of his life.

"My lord... Why is this the 1

st

floor? You're selling such items... Powerful equipment to say the least. Potions, armour, and not only that but luxuries and amenities as well? You even have places for people to live and sleep. It doesn't make sense to me."

Terenim smiles at you and leads you up into the hotel whose highest floor overlooks the entire town. He nods at the old goblin receptionist and leads you through seemingly endless corridors and stairways all lavishly decorated. Countless rooms lay on either side of you as you climb up to the top floor, and you eventually find yourself on the tallest balcony, looking down at the rather empty looking city.

"I told you I don't want the weak to be pitted against opponents they cannot possibly beat. At the same time wouldn't it make sense for the stronger adventurers to be fresh and ready for battle when they attempt to conquer my home? I would not want anyone to have the excuse of saying they were too tired from the journey here, or that if their armour and weapons had been in good condition they would have been able to beat this dungeon. All equipment can be repaired, all wounds healed after their travels. After all I

did

create all this in a hostile and isolated area populated by highly dangerous beasts. This also gives people a reason to come back and to avoid unnecessary damage to my home. If there is an area such as this one, where items of good quality are sold at a fair price, who would want to ruin it for everyone. By doing all this, I have made this adventure, this dungeon, into more of a game to play than a life or death situation. My defences and defendants are made or ordered to avoid unnecessary bloodshed as well as loss of life."

"That is not to say that deaths do not occur, but that is accepted as the risk for the reward. The bodies will almost always be returned, and if no one is found to receive it they are given a proper burial. I am not a cruel man, or someone who wishes harm upon any who attack me. I am simply a powerful megalomaniac that accepts that others will want what I have gained. It is my responsibility to defend my property as it is their nature to try to take it from me. Such is the way life works."

You listen to his every word as you look at the bustling micro-metropolis beneath you. You can imagine people actually wanting to live here. Who wouldn't? If approved of by your lord, families and groups would be safe, would be able to live comfortably as long as they found a source of income. Your mind is slowly coming up with ideas and suggestions which you desperately want to share with this man, your creator and benefactor that you can't help but trust.

"Are people... Other beings that are not adventurers, allowed to live here?"

Terenim stares blankly at you for a moment, and you rush to explain your question.

"I'm sorry, I meant like families, civilians, people who simply wish to be safe... Is there no room or possibility of starting a community here?"

He stares a second longer before a genuine smile stretches across his face.

"I knew I was right to create you." He says through his grin before continuing, while you attempt to hide the burst of joy in your chest. "To be frank I had not considered the possibility, simply because no family or peaceful non-adventurer types have ever ventured all the way out here, away from civilisation. However... You have a point. If I... We... could get normal everyday people to live here, it would not only serve as a source of income and possibly labour, but it would also bring forth a greater deterrent against all out attacks. It

has

happened, a dungeon being so impossible to conquer in a small group that entire armies have mobilised to raid and obliterate them." He frowns at the thought, his mind sifting through decades of memories.

"The main reason for the armies' allowed involvement was that when a dungeon becomes too powerful, it can become a threat to a country, or a city. This pushes the governments of this world to act to 'pre-emptively protect' themselves."

He grins happily as he moves behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You're leaning forward, resting your elbows on the balcony railing as he embraces you, his hips pressing gently against your rear. You feel your heart pound at his proximity, his heat; when his fingers touch your skin directly memories of the fantasy surface in your mind. Your entire body feels tingly and warm as he holds you, his chin on your shoulder as both of you look at the first floor in its entirety.

"Lord Terenim..."

"Call me Fiol when we are alone."

"Fi-Fiol... could we..."

He smiles with curiosity in his gaze, his face right next to yours as his eyes flicker sideways to look at you. He has a handsome face, even up close. It's not perfect, but somehow the flaws make it more interesting to explore with your eyes.

"Could we go outside? It's the last place we haven't... You haven't shown me."

You tense as you feel him breathe in deeply and close his eyes. You're afraid you've overstepped your boundaries, or that you have come across as ungrateful. However all those thoughts wash away instantly when he smiles and his arms wrap more tightly around you.

"I thought you'd never ask."

As you smile back, giddy at the idea, you feel and hear what can only be described as a pair of broad wings begin to beat behind you, and you find yourself even more confused when your feet leave the ground. Soon you pass over the railing and swoop down towards the large cavern entrance like a hawk after its prey. You squeal the entire way down, and open your eyes again only when you feel a sudden warmth on your face; like the heat of the miniature sun on the 6

th

floor, only much stronger.

You're finally outside.

Chapter 8

Once past the mouth of the cave, Terenim angles the back of his wings downwards and curves upwards high into the sky. You're both moving so fast that you can't really see anything other than blurs of colour until he stops. At the peak of his ascension, he beats his wings to hold his altitude constant a hundred or so meters above what seems to be a large, lonesome mountain. As your eyes get used to the insistent light of the sun, you find the cavernous entrance at the foot of the titanic landmark. You wonder why he didn't start the dungeon higher up so he'd have more space, rather than at the bottom. You are rather pleased with your intellect when your mind answers its own question; not only would that have unnecessarily made the dungeon harder to access, but there are probably very little resources high up near the summit. Even if there were resources he could simply mine upwards. You would later realise how presumptuous it was of you to assume you were right, but you would also find out you weren't

wrong

.

As your gaze shifts from the mountain, you begin to take in the surrounding landscape. One eyebrow shoots up at the rather fortunate positioning of your new home. To the north, a frozen, snow covered forest interspersed with small expanses of open plains. You can inherently tell that if any creatures live in that area, they will probably be smaller in number but proportionally more dangerous. From canines hunting in packs to lumbering beasts that will cut three men to shreds with a single swipe of their heavy paws, the creatures that live in such places are not to be trifled with. You also know that in the small caves and heavily covered areas, Frost Arachnids will be ready, waiting for prey to stumble into their silky, snow-white traps. A few dozen more species than you can consciously recollect probably call such a forest their home, and there is no end to the snow as far north as your eyes can see.

You turn, and as you move you feel your lord's body against yours, his arms holding you up as his wings beat rhythmically similarly to the heart in his broad chest. You close your eyes for a second, revelling in the feeling of safety and warmth before looking westward. In that direction, slowly transitioning from the snowy climate of the north, lies a forest along with grasslands. Your mind slowly supplies information on that area, showing images of creatures such as Thundeer, Deathpines and other such animals. Many of these creatures are relatively weak compared to the Blade Wolves or Burning Bears of the north, but there are a greater variety and greater numbers as well. This means that even though traveling to the dungeon from the west might seem easier, it simply poses a different kind of challenge compared to the north.

You rationalise that if a northerner were to attempt the journey, they would need to be prepared to make their way through the weather, and to deal with small number of high-risk species. They could specialise their equipment to a specific type of animal, and would simply need to be strong enough to take them on. If a western-ward adventurer were to attempt the same thing, they would not be required to be as strong, but would need to be much more adaptable when it came to combat and weather. Both are different challenges, and you eventually notice that the same applies to the other two cardinal points.

To the south, as one might expect, lies an endless wasteland of sand and salt. You close your eyes and sift through the memories you have of beasts and flora, except there really isn't much flora. Traveling through this area would be the same as the northern part of the continent, only instead of mammals the travellers would encounter insects such as Devourers and flash-trap spiders. You grimace as you realise that the arachnids have a breed for nearly every climate or geographical archetype, and thus are pretty much as widely spread across the world as humans. You find it strange that such a green area and a desert are so close to one another, and inspect the spot at which the two meet more closely. Nothing special can be discerned from where you are, but as your eyes wander back across the desolate landscape you notice a scar of some sort disfiguring the landscape between the two biomes. A zigzagging line of what seems to be molten magma flowing through a crevice makes its way across the desert for miles on end, eventually disappearing into the horizon. However the bright shimmering element inside the fissure is not as it seems. Once you look closer you see it shine, smooth and ethereal. Pure magical energy.

You concentrate and find the memories you need. A magic scar. These landmarks are spread out seemingly at random around the world. For those with the necessary know-how and resources, they are a near inexhaustible source of a specific type of magic. This one is obviously a heat scar, also known as a fire type, and the desert seems to have formed around it. You decide you'll learn more about it and the other types later, despite wondering if the magical phenomenon is the cause of the desert or if the desert caused the rift. You once again turn your head left, finding your eyes drawn to the lush jungle of the east. This biome is similar to the eastern grasslands in the variety of its ecosystem. Tropical felines prowl the thick underbrush, apes of various shapes, elemental affiliations and sizes travel through the canopy, and humongous insects dig through the ground or fly between the old, gargantuan tree trunks. You can tell from where you are that it's warm and humid, and tell yourself you wouldn't be surprised if the reason for such a drastic variety of weathers in the area was more than just happenstance.

You figure the heat of the jungle is due to the Scar, since it

is

closer to it than the forest, but you must also assume that the humidity is due either to a large river running somewhere deep in the jungle, or a water based scar is clashing with the first.

"This place is incredible... You might have the best position for your home there is."

You look back down at the mountain, remembering just how much is buried under it, thousands of creatures, piles of gold and items of immeasurable power. You hadn't technically seen the items, but you could sense their power from the vaults and storerooms as you made your way up.

"I haven't explored world in its entirety, but I think you might be right. And now I have the privilege of sharing that home with you, Shyvana."

You blush again, glad he can't see you do so.

"The honour is all mine, my lord."

"We'll explore the surrounding area another time, but right now... Look. "

He turns you towards the west, and you see the sun has begun to set. He holds you up so his arms are beneath your breasts, holding you up as his chin rests on your shoulder once more.

"I thought you'd enjoy your first sunset up here."

Your heart pounds, and you can't tell whether it's from the beauty of the sight before you, or the closeness and intimacy you are sharing with this man.

After the colours have faded from the sky, they are replaced by the deep abyss-like blue of the night, peppered with stars all around a full moon. Slowly, Terenim flies you down into the mountain once more. You're still feeling incredibly giddy and at ease as you head back towards the 2

nd

floor entrance, until you remember Saltien's promise and shivering excitedly at the thought.

Chapter 9

Terenim leads you through the town, and you're ever so slightly disappointed to see you're not heading straight for the 2

nd

level. He opens the door of a fancy looking restaurant and you thank him as you enter. When you do, you hold back a laugh. The waiters are goblins, wearing fancy outfits with black bowties, some looking rather uncomfortable but most beaming at the feeling of looking nice and proper. They truly seem to be the more peculiar members of their kind. The chef is in the kitchen and pokes his head through the open counter to look at his customers. The last thing you expect is a troll's large mug grinning at you before moving back into the kitchen and warming up his kitchen.

Your lord lets the both of you be lead to a table by a particularly happy looking goblin that takes your orders one after the other. You choose the wind squirrel steak with a glass of royal bumblebee ichor as a drink. Terenim orders the same drink with a main meal of burning bear. As you think about the animal he is about to eat, you try your hand at humour.

"If the hunters did a bad job, you'll be getting your steak earlier than me." Your reasoning being that since this species of bear increases its body heat when threatened to the point of combustion, if the hunters did not kill it instantly it would cook itself. Of course this is impossible since the bear is resistant to heat, and only achieves combustion through the nature of its hair, but you figure the joke was rather amusing. Your companion immediately puts two and two together and lets out a laughing breath through his nose and cracks a grin. You feel yourself flush with a variety of emotions as your sense of humour seems to match his. The goblin waiter on the other hand, scratches his head in confusion before making his way to the kitchen.

The next hour or so is spent shyly looking into your lord's eyes when you feel courageous, and him feeding you bits of meat so you can have a taste of his meal. Near the end of your steak you work up the courage to reply in kind, and you hear the chef whistle from his kitchen at the sight, which makes you blush even more. The handsome dungeon master opposite you does not seem to notice or mind, and gratefully takes the morsel in between his teeth. A few minutes later you get up to leave and Terenim drops a pouch of what sounds like jewels onto the table. The goblins and troll begin to protest, seemingly telling their employer that he need not pay. He answers with a lifted hand and a reply telling them they deserve it, and that they should enjoy a little something for having been on their best behaviour on your birthday.

Information rushes to your mind once more as you learn what a birthday is, and the goblins grin as they notice you've finally realised it's your special day. The entire staff rushes to the front, including the surprisingly speedy troll in his apron and hat. They breathe in deep, and begin to sing. Mostly in tune, they sing the goblin equivalent of "Happy birthday to you", which includes mentions of alcohol, fighting and dirt, but is still heart-warming.

You laugh and smile in happiness at the show, and when they're done you walk up to them to give each of them a hug and a thank you. To the troll you give a small kiss on the cheek as his apron has "kiss the cook" sewn on it in human dialect. He blushes and the goblins whistle in turn as you and Terenim walk out of the restaurant, both of you smiling or grinning.

"Happy birthday, my dear Shyvana."

"Thank you my lord. I really loved it. All of it."

He smiles. "Good. I'm glad your first birthday was special."

You gather your courage and lean in to kiss his cheek. His skin on your lips nearly makes you gasp out loud as it sends little jolts of pleasure through your flesh, but you quickly pull away and smile, looking down at the floor.

"It really was."

A few minutes later you're both walking down the stairs and just about to enter Saltien's den. Your heart beats faster at the idea of peering into your lord's mind, but you slowly decide that you truly want to know, even if Alaina or some other woman is the subject of his affections rather than you.