Dungeon Annihilation 3-15

Good Morning Peeps!

Chapter 15

Regan/Earle

“What’s your game?” I asked Helicilia after she led us down an alley near the warehouses. The area had really grown lately due to the marquis’s long-term stay. Merchants and nobles alike were doing their best to get their fingers into the prize they hoped the valley might turn out to be.

“Game?” She asked innocently. “Aren’t you the one playing the games?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What do you mean?”

She placed her hands on her hips and looked me over. “You have all this power. Sure, you claim it is from Nyx, but I don’t believe you. Though, I’m sure you expected that already.”

“Fine. I still don’t understand the point of you marrying me,” I asked making air quotes when I said marrying.

“Oh. I’m quite serious. I have a desire that no one has ever managed to fulfill before. The other night when you wiped a town from existence, I grew positively hot for you.” I wasn’t sure if it was a show or not, but she wrapped her arms around herself as she stroked her crotch and breasts. A gesture that might seem lewd if done by anyone else was made almost charming by her.

“So. I’m being strung along by a pervert,” I said sighing while rubbing my head. Julie was enough for me in that department. It really only mattered for my Earle façade. If I got rid of that, then she wouldn’t be a threat let alone an annoyance. However, there were still somethings that I wanted to do as Earle.

Helicilia returned to her stately self and placed her hands on her hips. “Say what you will. I can help you achieve many things and I expect that in return.”

“Ah. You desire power on the same level as me?” I speculated tapping my chin. “Very well. What is your desire?”

She started laughing like that was a stupid question. “Ever since I was a little girl. I’ve wanted it all. Everything. I want to rule the world.” Daddy issues maybe? At least it was straight forward.

“Sorry, can’t do that. That’s my gig,” I said waving my hand, though I mentally added that I planned to destroy this world after ruling it for a while.

She pouted which actually made her look cute, but even then, there was an evil undertone to it. “Every ruler needs a queen,” she purred seductively as she reached forward and rubbed her hand down my arm. Had I been a mortal, it might have been a very tempting offer. This woman was top tier, maybe the most beautiful short of Destruction that I’d seen since coming to Murgin. Too bad for her, I wasn’t a mortal and felt little from her advances.

“And you think you are qualified for that role?” I asked with a snort. I had expected something, but this really did take the cake. I could have my choice of mortals, or whatever else was out there. A felt a pull toward the dungeon core to the north, though I planned to shut that down as soon as I figured out the cause. Nothing controls my thoughts.

“Much better than that little girl that is trying to play lord here,” she retorted not even remotely hurt from my derision.

I considered this woman named Helicilia. It might not hurt to play along with her for a while. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to let her watch my back. A woman like this was like a spider that tried to weave as many webs as she could to ensnare her prey. If I let her, I might be the one with a control collar on me.

“Fine. I’ll play along for a time. Here.” I reached into my coat and created a necklace. It was similar to the control collars but would allow her mostly free will. I handed the jewelry over to her. “We can stay in contact with this.”

She took it carefully and looked it over. When her eyes widened, I knew she’d seen through it to the magic underneath. “That’s right. I guess a gamble is necessary. If you decide to kill me, make it quick,” she said as she quickly put it on. I liked her will to do anything to achieve her goal. The chain morphed into a choker but stopped before it caused her any harm. A diamond with a snake wrapped around it dangled from the front.

“Very nice. Now. Let’s have a little talk,” I said my voice going to the deep version of the dungeon host. She was mine until the day her head left her body. I would be adding insurances, but she didn’t need to know about those. This woman was at the top of the necromancers after all. She knew how to keep a secret.

I wrapped my arms around her, and we sank into the shadows. She already knew that I could move like this, thus it wasn’t something I had to hide. She soon found herself at the top of the dungeon tower. She looked around before she walked to the edge of the platform. The valley and the mountain walls laid bare for anyone to see from up here. The clouds only a minor hinderance.

“This is the dungeon?” Helicilia asked looking around like a tourist.

“First time?”

“In this one yes,” she replied with a nod.

“Of course. You’ve been to the dungeon in the north.”

Helicilia nodded before she turned back to me. “This certainly explains a lot, but you should only be a few months old.”

“I have my secrets. Now, I want you to tell me all of yours,” I said with a deep tone. Her eyes dimmed as the full force of Lust’s power hit her. Allies, Enemies, it didn’t matter. Everything was a pawn to me. I licked my lips as I thought about perhaps stealing Destruction’s power. A shiver went down my back almost instantly. I knew it came from somewhere else. “Reading my mind? That’s not very fun,” I mumbled toward the sky.

Helicilia didn’t notice and answered me. “Yes, my lord.”

~~~

Looking down over the valley in my avatar form, I considered what to do going forward. It helped compartmentalize my thoughts when I had a lot on my plate. Thanks to Helicilia, I had a lot on my plate to deal with.

Helicilia was one of the top players in the necromancer ranks. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the leader. The only problem were a few other masters as she called them that would throw up more than a little resistance to any sort of plan I might come up with to take over the necromancers from within. She outright told me that I would have to basically kill them all. Not a bad idea, but one that would take time.

“First on the list is the dungeon core Alara,” I mumbled tapping my chin. I might be evil, but I go through with anything that I say I would. I told her I would free her, and that was what I was going to do.

“What do you want with her?” Helicilia asked. She was still on the roof with me. From the emotions I was getting through the necklace, she had accepted our new partnership, at least until something better came along. Of course, I doubted she would be able to escape me after this.

“I have my reasons, but she asked for my help. I am already this powerful on my own. Imagine what I could do with another core mind following my orders,” I replied spreading my arms wide for emphasis. The clouds around us grew darker until no light escaped through them. The only illumination were the neon lights that were on the roof of my tower.

“That would indeed quite the sight,” she answered. “I might be able to help you there. I could easily get us to the core room of the dungeon.” She gave me a sinister grin.

“Could you now?” I asked with a grin that split my face. “That will certainly make my life easier.”

She shrugged with a sigh. “However, I’m not sure what you could do to help her. The magic that binds her is beyond even us. It was created by my master.”

“Cassin, right?” I asked stroking my chin as I went over the details she had just explained to me. “He is a celestial strong in the unholy element.” He was some sort of equal or rival to Lelune. It was also the first mention of another being that was worshipped. I wasn’t sure how I could use this information yet, but I filed it away all the same.

Helicilia created a glowing skull over her hand. A steady stream of unholy energy emanated from it. “Correct. From what I’ve learned from previous masters. He was the creator of the unholy branch of mana.” I reached out and crushed the skull in my hand.

I laughed loudly then turned back to the valley. It looked peaceful, but my aura from the cathedral was steadily spreading. It would soon cover all the inhabited places and I would have a constant supply of mana no matter whether they were diving or not. I was on the brink to breaking through to tier three and it sounded like I would need to do so soon if I was going to keep messing with powers beyond my full understanding.

Moving a tendril of shadow along Helicilia’s cheek, I grinned maybe with a bit too much maniacal insanity showing. “I can’t wait to meet this Cassin.”

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