I infused Infernal Essence into the two seals and watched with satisfaction as a soft glow of energy hissed into the runes. The weapons became conduits of dark energy and gleamed with a dull red light, illuminating their two alcoves.
I wove Physical Essence into leather to create comfortable hand-wraps that would aid an adventurer’s punch or his grip on a weapon. The small items of clothing curled into my alcoves, beside the cleavers. Next came a replica of Gavin’s mace, but I put it on the dais at the foot of my core’s cradle. It was an ugly weapon, made for an ugly fucker, so it’d suffice for any of Gavin’s friends.
“Puck! Bertha! Join me at my core,” I willed them. “There are new traps adjacent to the First Floor’s entrance and the Pretzel. Watch out for them.”
With a grin, I retreated my consciousness into my core once again. I found the elf avatar of Von Dominus inside the facets and summoned him. The floor beneath the dais liquified, and then the elf slowly rose from the surface like an actor appearing from beneath a theater stage.
I could’ve spawned the avatar at the top of the stairs, right at the entrance, if I’d chosen to. This was a serious advantage I hadn’t possessed as a core without a dungeon. I was Zagorath, and could summon, disassemble, build, and dig wherever the hell I damn well pleased.
I reached out with the limber tendrils of my consciousness and possessed the elf once again. I let out a deep exhale and enjoyed the feeling of breathing, and of the blood pumping through hands and legs once again. It couldn’t hold a candle to being fucking omnipresent inside my own deathtrap-ridden Infernal halls, but it was nice to notice how the light of my gem flickered and dimly lit the First Floor.
I heard Bertha and Puck moving, their footsteps and voices drawing closer. Relief filled me when Bertha slipped easily past both floor triggers and didn’t send a massive spike out of the ceiling or the ground.
“You’ve returned to us, Master!” Puck cackled as he flew lazy loops around Bertha.
My eyes settled on the half-troll, and I appreciated her curves for the first time in days. Well, it was the first moment my senses had been entirely devoted to her. I breathed in her beauty as the memory of our bedroom adventure came rushing back to me. I could only truly appreciate it now I was inside a flesh-and-blood body.
“I’m glad to see you,” she said in her jazz-edged voice that stirred my blood.
“As am I to see you.” I swept my arms theatrically over the First Floor. “Zagorath is becoming everything it was meant to be. When Gavin’s comrades finally come looking for him, they’ll be in for one hell of a surprise.”
“What are your orders, Master?” Puck asked.
“You’re both my fastest and quietest champion, Puck,” I told him, layering on the praise, maybe a little too thick. “You’re the perfect scout. I need you to search out the ascent to Zagorath. If you catch even a glimpse of any adventurers, you fly into the second set of stairs, and call out. Do not return until they’ve arrived.”
I knew they were on their way. News had reached Gavin through Jeff and Ma, and they must have told him about the dungeon core before he’d seen their corpses. He wouldn’t have kept the secret to himself, not if he was a member of the Sand Pirates. But was it a stretch to assume he was altruistic enough to inform the others? Would he have failed to contact them because he wanted the dungeon all to himself?
“Are you sure that’s wise, Master?” Puck asked as a sly glint slid into his eyes. “Surely you will be more secure with both of us watching over you, rather than just my compatriot here?”
“My wisdom is not for you to question,” I answered. “You’re the only one I can spare—and trust—to carry out this task effectively.”
Bertha glanced at me, but she wasn’t offended. Her mouth ticked up, and her eyes clouded with desire. Yeah, she knew exactly what my intentions were.
“Carry out your orders, Dungeon Champion,” I said to the imp with a conclusive note.
I swear the little bastard winked at me as he zipped away. His cackle rang through the dungeon while he raced to the halls of the Pretzel before humming up toward the entrance as fast as his wings could take him.
Bertha smile and the naked lust in her eyes grew until the imp was finally outside the dungeon. I stepped closer toward her without any hurry. She’d read the signs, and she was practically begging me to take her.
“With all the work you’ve been doing, I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Bertha murmured in that salacious tone of hers. She let her poleaxe fall to the floor with a clatter. “The halberd was a generous reward, but I want more.”
“More?” I asked. “Tell me exactly what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
“I want you, Von Dominus.” The half-troll grabbed my tunic and pulled it free of my chest. The garment hit the floor, baring the lean muscles of my elf beneath.
Then I was close, my face barely an inch from hers. Her heavy breath brushed against my cheek with warmth, and a fanged smile spread across my face. I had forgotten. Not about her, not at all. But I’d forgotten the perks of possessing a flesh-and-blood being.
I kissed the corner of her mouth, and her breath hissed through her teeth in response. My fangs sank into her neck; only a few millimeters, but it did the trick. Her whole body shuddered at the pleasure of it,
