Dungeon bound 3, p.1
Dungeon Bound 3, page 1
Dungeon Bound 3
Bastian Knight
Copyright © 2021 Bastian Knight
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, events, names, and places are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblence to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
In loving memory of my father.
Dad, I hope your next story is an epic adventure.
Chapter One
A beautiful, azure-skinned giantess marched across a darkened hall, her heels clicking against polished black marble. Tall and athletic, she still appeared petite in the cavernous chamber. She held Gabriel’s gaze as she approached the foot of the stone dais and knelt before him.
“Master, the Dark Lord has fallen. All of Evora is yours,” she said in a husky, melodious voice. Deep-blue eyes glared up at him until she bowed her head in submission. “You have won. I-I offer myself to your service… completely.”
The stunning giantess’ words sent a shiver down Gabriel’s spine, and for a few seconds, he basked in the knowledge that his rule was now unchallenged. The thrill of his conquest filled him with pride.
That’s not what I want. This isn’t real.
Gabriel tried to speak, but he remained silent and motionless. Off to his right, a shadowy figure shifted.
“This is excellent news. We understand it was hard to slay your husband, but you made the right choice. No doubt, our master will accept your generous offer soon,” the dark woman said.
Still, Gabriel couldn’t move. He strained with all of his might, yet the people around continued on without him.
Behind the glaring giant came another statuesque woman. Even with her sinister, chitinous armor and the vicious expression that marred her beauty, he recognized Cindra.
His bonded walked up to the giant almost twice her height and sneered. “This one is unworthy of Packmaster.” Cindra paused to inspect the taller woman more carefully. “She might give him strong pups, though.”
Rage and fear warred in Gabriel’s mind at the harsh tone of the lovable hellhound. Her exuberant and infectious cheer was gone, and he redoubled his resistance to the horrifying spectacle.
“Now that the world isss yoursss, Massster, perhapsss—” a powerful female voice started before the shadowy figure interrupted.
“Silence, you worthless snake. Master Gabriel will decide what comes next. If you are needed, I will summon you.”
Off to Gabriel’s left, a massive form froze at the harsh words, drawing his attention.
Standing taller than Cindra, the scaled monster was part beautiful woman and part enormous snake. Her tail, thicker than his waist, lashed behind her, and she held her arms tight to her chest.
Is that Sthuza’s true form?
Gabriel studied the mortified monster girl. Scales covered most of her body, and her head-snakes hung low, pulled back as though hiding from the malevolent figure beside him. Every detail reminded him of his Prime-bonded, only enlarged.
Sthuza bowed obsequiously. “My apologiesss, Mistress.”
Trying to reach out through their bond, Gabriel felt only the vaguest sense of his beloved greater gorgon. He threw himself into the connection yet was violently repelled.
By the time his mind cleared, the scene had shifted. The shadows blotting out most of the grand audience chamber withdrew, and he stared in horror.
Dozens of women lined the hall. Members of every race he had ever seen or heard of were visible. Each of them was beautiful, but they all bore a disconcerting darkness. It took him several long seconds to realize they each wore chitinous armor instead of clothing.
The faces all stared at him with reverence, but their gazes filled him with dread. Deep inside, he felt a growing revulsion. As his attention continued to shift from woman to woman, he began to recognize more and more of them.
Those are the elves we met guarding the dungeon… and that’s… Reyna!
His mind locked onto the tortured-looking lycan he’d met recently. From their first encounter in the baron’s sex dungeon, the petite werebadger had demonstrated a barely restrained rage that struggled to conceal a soul-deep agony.
Now, her cute features were locked in an unyielding mask of raw pain and hate. Her golden-brown eyes bore no light whatsoever. All he could see was endless suffering.
What happened to her? She looks even worse than Cindra.
Gabriel glanced back to the buxom hellhound. Cindra met his gaze with a look of complete devotion, but her glowing blue eyes were hard and cold. Their black sclera appeared bottomless.
This isn’t real! It can’t be.
Unable to stomach the sight of the cheerful monster girl looking so cold and severe, he tried to view the shadowy figure next to him. After a brief struggle against an unseen force, he shifted his perspective and recoiled at the sight.
An imposing figure armored in thick, chitinous plate and dark robes sat on a black throne. Despite the strange gear and the remorseless eyes, Gabriel recognized himself. Dark Gabriel stared down at the crowd of beautiful, joyless women.
What is going on? That can’t be me.
Dark Gabriel ignored him, so he focused on the female form seemingly cloaked in shifting shadows.
Despite the ephemeral concealment, Gabriel knew the hidden person was female. As he stared at the swirling shades of black, they began to part, revealing another tall, flawless beauty.
Beautiful, but those eyes are terrifying. It’s like gazing into the Abyss.
Three pairs of baleful purple-black eyes stared back at him. When he concentrated on shifting his perspective, those eyes tracked him.
“Do not be alarmed, Dungeon Master. This is but a glimpse of the glory you can have. Join us, submit, and rule all of this world,” the shadowy female said.
Taller than Cindra, she had a slender build, and her ornate breastplate gave only the slightest hint of a bust. Her pale-white skin stood in stark contrast to the fathomless pits of her eyes. All six of them.
“Y-you’re the one I’ve been hearing?” Gabriel asked numbly. “Leave me alone!”
The chitin-covered woman shook with dark, mocking laughter. “You are in no position to demand anything from us, Gabriel Grimm.”
The certainty and smugness of her words sent a shiver down his spine, and Gabriel struggled not to panic. Despite his intangible presence, he began to hyperventilate.
“You are already ours. That pathetic Core you’ve bound yourself to did not save you. We did.”
The reminder of his bond with Merideva caused him to glance back to his dark doppelganger. Clenched tight in one armored fist was a silver-and-black staff, capped with a glowing, purple gem.
No! Meri!
The Dungeon Core who’d granted him a second life pulsed faintly, and he felt the slightest tremor from his bond with her.
Meri! Can you hear me?
“There is no point in resisting, Dungeon Master. You. Are. Ours. Cease this struggling, and we will grant you more than you could ever dream of.” The concealed woman stood up from her black throne and strode toward him.
Stepping farther from the inky shadows cloaking her, she revealed the rest of her body. Behind the beautiful humanoid form came a bulbous insectoid body with a writhing mass of sinister talons and far too many wings.
Gabriel recoiled in horror at the grotesque monstrosity, causing the creature’s near-human face to smirk.
“What is wrong, Dungeon Master? Does this form displease you? We could take another if you prefer. But the longer you resist, the worse it will be on you later. You and your little pets.”
Des
Alone with the shadowy woman and her insectoid other half.
“Relax, Gabriel Grimm. We will make it worth your while. Were those mortal women not enough? Take your pick from the entire world. Submit to our Swarm and rule this planet forever,” she said.
Her words reverberated within Gabriel’s head, and it felt like his skull would explode. He screamed against the sudden surge of pain.
Just as the intensity threatened to drive him mad, he sensed another presence within his mind. First one, then another, and another until he felt all but wrapped up in the comforting embrace of his bonds.
The bright, vibrant bond from Merideva suffused and reenergized him even as Sthuza’s and Cindra’s shielded him from the worst of the psychic attack. The strength of their bonds stunned him until he remembered what had happened when he’d almost died fighting the arachne.
I dove into their bonds again. Like when I tapped Cindra to harness enough mana to defeat Kelith. But that was different; I only drained her mana pool. They… they poured their Soul Essence into me. Gave of their own energy to repair my soul. Is that why the bonds feel so powerful?
Their spiritual presence soothed him, driving away the terror and the Swarm’s grim warning. He sank into them more fully and relished the simple peace that settled over him. It felt as though the souls of his bonded surrounded him, infusing his own tattered soul with a thick barrier of love and devotion.
The endless void and the unexpected agony faded away until all that remained was the warm comfort of his bonded. Too soon, even that faded away, replaced by a strange itching sensation within his right hand and upper back.
Right, I fought Yesera last night and almost died. The pain’s not too bad, considering she stuck her spear through my chest. I also don’t feel nearly as exhausted as I should after burning through my entire mana pool.
A rush of memories washed over Gabriel, and he calmed slightly when he realized he still lay on his bedroll, cuddled up next to his bonded.
Well, two of them. Even after that ‘soul sex,’ not sure I’m going to wake up with Reyna in my arms anytime soon.
As his mind played back through the horrific fight against the sadistic arachne, he smiled when he felt Cindra snuggle closer.
Wait, didn’t Sthuza make her sleep on the other side of her?
After several seconds, he realized the furry arm clutching him tight and the slender gorgon pressed up against him were both on his least wounded side.
If Cindra is holding me from the same side as Sthuza…
Concern for his Prime-bonded caused his eyes to snap open. He had to blink a few times to adjust to the strange Darkvision, but then he struggled not to laugh at the sight before him.
The experienced gorgon, who he could no longer imagine his life without after only a few days together, was all but buried beneath the slumbering hellhound.
At some point after they fell asleep, the gray-skinned beauty must have rolled over the smaller monster girl in her eagerness to reach him.
Sthuza is definitely tougher than she looks. Cindra has to weigh at least half a ton.
Looking over his fiery bonded, Gabriel’s attention was soon drawn to her prodigious bust. This time though, he managed not to become distracted.
Soft snoring from across the room told him that Reyna, his new werebadger bonded, was sound asleep as well.
With a relaxed sigh, he turned his attention to his own body. It didn’t take long for him to confirm that the devastating injuries he’d suffered in the frantic battle the night before were healing but still not finished. He flexed his bandaged right hand and managed not to whimper.
Sthuza warned me that bonding Reyna only got me a small portion of her lycan regeneration. Hopefully, I can finish recovering while we track Estrial and her party.
None of this will matter if we don’t recover that Domain Crystal soon. Meri won’t survive much longer without it, and it’ll be worthless to us if its connection to the dungeon destabilizes. We’ve got at best a week before that happens.
At best.
Normally, thoughts of the duplicitous elven sorceress dredged up fiery anger in Gabriel. The expected rage coalesced within his mind, but he barely noticed this time as something unfamiliar drew his thoughts to the twin swordsmen she traveled with. A raw, soul-deep hatred of the arrogant pair washed over him.
A rumbling growl startled him, and it was all he could do not to leap up and scream as he realized it wasn’t Cindra growling.
It was him.
Straining to suppress the blinding rage that threatened to blank out his mind, he concentrated on his bonds.
Sthuza’s was vibrant and green, and her peaceful slumber helped him resist the violence screaming to be unleashed. Touching Cindra’s bond further distracted him from the hate. Even in her sleep, the statuesque hellhound was thrilled to be with her new Pack.
If the rage didn’t come from Cindra, then it has to be…
A single stealthy peek at his newest bonded proved him right. Despite being asleep, Reyna radiated vicious, bottomless rage and a desperate need to lash out. Gabriel focused on it and quickly noticed that hatred was directed at the twins, Dresk and Derek.
Did she sense my thoughts of them and Estrial?
Worried about the troubled lycan, he calmed his mind, then sent thoughts of peace and relaxation to the werebadger. To his surprise, the raw fury receded, and he felt Reyna slip deeper into sleep.
As she slumbered, Gabriel let his thoughts return to the beautiful elven sorceress who had betrayed, then murdered him. He imagined the many ways he could make Estrial and the human twins suffer for what they did to him.
Dresk and Derek were involved with the horrible fate of Reyna’s sister. Compared to that, their mockery of me while Estrial cut out my heart is meaningless.
The memory of how he had been set up and sacrificed so the adventurers could steal the Domain Crystal naturally led his mind back to the baron’s role.
Alberik wanted Meri’s Core for himself, and I was only drawn in because Kelith suggested me to Estrial. But that asshole wronged Reyna terribly.
Unbidden, the lycan’s emotional outburst in the baron’s throne room played out before Gabriel. The baron’s role in her sister’s fate was unforgivable, and Gabriel felt a dark satisfaction that they had the noble’s soul trapped in an S-Crystal.
The regular S-Crystals used by summoners were only able to entomb the dominated or willing soul of those species considered monsters. The bound soul could then be summoned to serve or fight for a minor but continuous mana drain.
His Prime had provided ones capable of capturing any mortal souls.
And Sthuza has three more of those special crystals. Soon enough, Estrial and those cruel pricks are going to be begging for mercy.
He recalled the elven sorceress as she raised a ritual dagger over his paralyzed form. Her beautiful face was locked in a cold, cruel mask, and he felt a fiery rage build within him.
A subtle sibilant hiss built in the back of Gabriel’s mind as he thought about Estrial. It grew louder, and he jerked back to awareness and blinked his eyes. The sound reminded him of just how eager Sthuza had sounded when she suggested they use the S-Crystals on the traitorous adventurers.
Well, I’ve checked on all of my bonded. Better check on my Dungeon Core too. Can’t forget Meri. If not for her, I would’ve ceased to exist entirely.
Reaching out for Merideva felt natural, and it took less than a second for him to catch her attention. The mercurial and childish Core responded instantly.
‘Gabriel! There are undead entering my Domain!’ she cried out in his mind.
The sudden shock caused him to twitch, and several of Sthuza’s head-snakes hissed in surprise. Cindra let out a little yawn, and Sthuza murmured sleepily before pressing up tighter against his side.
Across the room, Reyna muttered darkly, sounding almost sad.
‘Meri, what happened? How many? Where?’
‘Down on the fifth floor. The kobold scouts there spotted them a while ago.’
‘Why didn’t you wake me?’ Gabriel forced his mind-voice to be calm, but he couldn’t restrain his worry.
‘Before she went to sleep, your Prime said we shouldn’t wake you unless it’s an emergency. There were just a few undead at first, and Kestria thought her warriors could stop them.’
