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Chapter Fifteen
“You have to stay behind us, Dark Lord,” Morana said as Litay led my force of monster girls through the maze. “This beast is dangerous!” My banshee glanced behind me, her black mist spilling down her.
“Yes,” growled Vilkas. She loped in her lightning wolf form. “I know you are strong. You killed me in Sharithin, but I like this new life. I don’t want to die again!”
“We come back to life,” Garnet said as she ran at my side now, a black whip coiled in her hands.
“Not if Lord Leo perishes,” Vilkas growled, loping behind the choir racing through the dungeon.
“Dark Lord Big Bro is invincible!” Garnet declared, her voice echoing through the dungeon.
“Just stay behind us, Leo,” Lana Fulmine said as she ran on the other side of me. Her golden hair crackled with lightning, her silvery expression beseeching me.
“Fine, fine,” I said and slowed my run so I wasn’t in near the front of my force of monster girls.
“We are going to do this, Leo!” Alizee shouted as she soared with us, floating with her feet just off the ground. “We can! Woot!”
I smiled for a moment at her enthusiasm, memories of her prancing about during prep rallies and games to get our side pumped to cheer on the team.
“Yessss, we will, Massster,” Paanee hissed as she slithered ahead of me, her big boobs bouncing.
Maya fell in beside me and took my arm with hers. My watery undine smiled at me as she said, “I’ll make sure you stay in the back. Crystal, you’re with me.”
My older sister took my other arm, her chill bleeding through my robes. Mist spilled off her icy face as she said, “We won’t let our dirty boy get killed.”
Four of my monster girls died. Asnova, Marmur, Mazsi, and Zala. The surviving rock elementals and goblins who were on guard duty. They must have followed the dragoness into the dungeon. My hands clenched. Level 1 monster girls could not handle a dragon.
That was why I had brought my companions. Unique monster girls had the power, but only if there were lots of them.
“She’s at the door to my lord’s throne room, Lord Leo!” gasped Litay as she lead them through the dungeon. We passed traps that had been sprung.
“Who sent this dragon?” I demanded. “Or is she a marauding beast? Just a wild dragon that wants to find a lair. Those exist, right?”
“They do,” cried Kassie. “They’re rare, but… You think this isn’t the work of a dungeon builder.”
“Whoever sent it will pay,” growled Nina Naughty. My devil held a pitchfork.
I started casting my defensive spells on the run.
“Hard and enduring, let the rocks of Lady Ki defend!”
My skin turned to stone, a hard layer of protection that would keep me safe. Granite Flesh had saved my ass a few times. Maya and Crystal let go of me now.
“Steel wards with unyielding strength, let the defense of Lady Nisaba protect!”
A suit of metal armor appeared around me, conjured by Metal magic. It was heavier than my normal armor.
“Strong and unyielding, let the granite of Lady Ki enhance!”
Strength of the Mountain gave me the strength to move in such heavy armor like it was nothing. My muscles bulged with power now.
“Life energizes and enervates, let the grace of Lady Ianna empower!”
Stamina flooded through me. Vitality. It wasn’t enough to have more strength, I needed the endurance to be able to run all day and fight all night. I wouldn’t get fatigued.
“Lightning crackle and hiss, gird me in the love of Lady Uttu!”
Static Aura encased me in crackling defense. One of the first spells I had ever learned. It would disrupt the next attack that hit me. Layered defenses. Static Aura, armor, and Granite Flesh. I would not go down easy.
My monster girls wanted me to stay in the back, but this fight would get brutal. I would have to fight. I knew it. Just so long as Siwang and I survived. Fear lashed at me as we followed Litay. How long before the dragon was into Siwang’s throne room.
How long could he and his companions last?
* * / *
Halia burst into the guard post in the first level of Lord Leo’s dungeon. The paladin trembled, wishing that Lord Leo had summoned her. Smerta stood in the room staring at the map on the floor. It was like the one in the throne room, but smaller in size.
“He didn’t take you, either?” Halia asked, trying not to sound bitter.
“I have command of the dungeon when he’s not here,” Smerta said. The valkyrie had her icy armor about her.
“Right, right.” Halia took a deep breath. “We have to prepare for this to get worse.”
“It already has,” the valkyrie said. “She cleaved through the Level 1 monster girls without breaking a sweat.”
Halia cursed, her hand fingering the pommel of her blessed blade.
“Werebears and orcs, haul ass to Siwang’s dungeon right now!” Smerta ordered telepathically. “Quetzalcoatls, too!”
“I thought we were here to defend the dungeon,” Halia said, giving Smerta a look.
“There is a saying from Leo’s people,” said Smerta. “The best defense is an offense. We are going on the attack. Back him up. So?”
“Let’s go!” Halia agreed and drew her blessed blade. It hummed with eagerness for the fight.
* * / *
The door burst open in a spray of metal. It crashed across Siwang’s throne room. The dragoness appeared, scales as black as night. Siwang’s heart lurched, but he stood ready. He had prepared for this moment.
The words spilled from his lips.
“Hammer concusses, let the might of Lord Ishkur deafen!”
A hammer of concussive force slammed into the dragoness. It threw her back as the air rang from the thunderous impact. Siwang was not a sick and helpless youth any longer. He was a dungeon builder. A man with power. He would not lose all that he had without a fight.
“Bright and distracting, let the illumination of Lord Shamash distract!”
As the dragoness shook her head from the first spell, lights strobed before her. She closed her eyes and raised her hand as they flashed, giving his monster girls a chance to attack before the bitch could recover.
“Now!” Siwang cried telepathically to his three lovers.
Beams of light fired from Guang’s blue eyes. They struck the dragoness in the chest. She screamed in pain and twisted her body, raising her leathery wing to block the attack. As she did that, Siwang’s mother and cyclops charged forward.
Xiongbu and Lei covered the ground fast. The dragoness was recovering, her legs bending. The words to Strobe tumbled from Siwang’s lips once more. He had to keep her penned in so his wraith and cyclops could finish her.
“Bright and distracting, let the illumination of Lord Shamash distract!”
As the strobes burst, the dragon jumped. Guang’s light beams smote the shattered door now. The Dragoness unfurled her wings and soared over Lei and Xiongbu. Siwang’s heart lurched at her grace and speed. She landed before Guang.
The dragon grabbed Guang’s glowing neck and twisted. A loud snap echoed as the lampetia’s neck broke. Siwang felt her die as she vanished into motes. The dragoness snapped her gaze to Siwang, malice burning in her cold, blue eyes.
“Hammer concusses, let the might of Lord Ishkur deafen!” burst from Siwang’s lips.
Thunder Hammer struck her in the face. She snarled in pain as she staggered back. It bought time for Lei and Xiongbu to reverse direction. The cyclops raced across the distance, her face burning with passion.
“You do not look at him like that!” roared the cyclops. “He has a noble soul, whore!”
Lei swung her silver hammer and slammed it into the back of the dragon. Thunder boomed. The dragon screamed in pain, her head snapped back. She staggered again as Lei drew back her heavy weapon for another attack.
The dragon recovered too fast. She punched her hand forward and ripped through Lei’s silver armor into her chest. Lei stiffened as the dragon ripped out the cyclops’s heart. Bile burned in the back of Siwang’s throat as his next companion vanished in motes.
Xiongbu leaped at the dragon, black mist spilling from her. The dragon breathed her fire. Umbral flames engulfed his mother, but she didn’t die. She laughed as she ran through it, unfazed by the energy that engulfed her.
“She’s a Death dragon!” Xiongbu shouted.
And Xiongbu was a Death monster girl.
The motherly wraith threw herself onto the dragon. They staggered, dark mist swirling around them as they hissed and grappled with each other. Xiongbu’s fingernails sliced at the dragon’s thick hide. The enemy hissed in pain.
“Yes!” Siwang cried at his mother. He snagged his scythe leaning against the throne and charged to help his mother. He could swing his weapon through her and hit the dragon. “Mother!”
Xiongbu glanced at him, understanding in her eyes.
The dragon laughed. Pain flashed in the wraith’s eyes. She screamed as the dragon ripped his mother in half. She threw the two pieces away. They vanished into motes. Her blue eyes slammed into him, nearly staggering him.
He was all alone.
Roaring, Siwang refused to give up. He had not gained a second chance to lose it without a fight. He swung the scythe.
With contemptuous ease, the dragoness battered the scythe away with her scaled armor. The weapon flew from his hand. He had a weapon, but he had no idea how to use it. Had no training or practice with it. His mind stumbled as he struggled to think.
Her leg swept out and knocked his feet out from beneath him.
He crashed on his back. His head smacked hard against the stone floor, but he didn’t feel any pain. It didn’t disorient him at all. He focused his magic. He had powers. He just had to speak to them. He knew a spell that hurt her.
“Hammer concusses, let the might”
She slammed her foot down on his chest. It didn’t hurt as his ribs snapped, but the impact forced the air from his lungs, choking off his spell. She grinned down at him and raised her arm. She slashed it down at his throat.
Lightning crackled as death came for Siwang once more.
ero
