Dungeon Spawned: Dark Dungeon 01 Read online

  I reached out tentatively, and felt the other soul, and the darkness. It was attractive to me. Its efforts to suborn my magic were laughable however. The other soul was strong, but a mere candle compared to my bonfire. I was angry, was the being trying to steal my power?

  The magic eagerly came back to my call, and I pulled it all from the other being until it was powerless. Then I reached out to snuff the other presence inside the crystal, but froze right before I stomped the interloper out of existence.

  What if the other knew what I was, how I got here? I seemed to know how to absorb magic, and duplicate anything I studied, but what was it all for? I had no idea.

  I examined the soul instead, which I could tell was quite alarmed by its circumstances. It was also fairly simple to determine, unlike my soul, the other could only access dark magic and fire. The light magic entered the core at my bidding, and I constructed a cage of light magic around the being, cutting it off from all but a small amount of dark magic to sustain it.

  The question was, how was I supposed to communicate with it to ask my questions?

  I had no clue, so I went back to what I was doing, building the layers and absorbing magic…

  Chapter Two

  Something different happened, something entered my domain. It had a dark magic signature, much like my interloper who I still hadn’t figured out how to communicate with. Except, this one was even weaker. If my passenger was bonfire, and I was a forest fire, then this new arrival was now the candle.

  While I was deciding what to do about this new creature, it spoke to me.

  “Hi, I come in peace and swear to serve you if you allow it. I can answer your questions.”

  I studied the creature more closely. It was just over a foot high, maybe fourteen inches. It was in the form of a woman with red tinged skin, a ridiculously curvy body, small horns, a tail, and wings. She gave me a salacious smile, but I didn’t really understand what that was yet. We seemed to be connected by a tentative line of dark magic, it wasn’t quite set yet though. It was thin, but it was a little complex. It wasn’t just dark magic, it was dark magic organized in a specific configuration.

  Something in me said it was a spell, but I didn’t really understand what that meant.

  I wondered if I could use the same kind of thing to speak to my passenger, and then I answered.

  “What are you, and what am I. If you can answer those questions I’ll consider it.”

  She said, “I’m a dungeon imp, and you’re a dungeon core. All dark dungeons get one, an imp I mean. Think of me as a guide, I can explain things. Although, I have to say I’m impressed, you’ve already harnessed five of the six magic spheres. I didn’t even know that was possible. We noticed the power build up, so I volunteered.”

  “You volunteered to serve someone you didn’t know?”

  She smiled and winked, “Hell ain’t no picnic sweetie. So, what do you say?”

  “What does a dungeon do?”

  She shook her head, and then stretched and yawned like a cat, “Uhuh, honey. I already gave you two free answers. Accept the bond, or I’m out of here. I will tell you there are more advantages than information, I can be your eyes outside of the range of your reach. I’m also the only way you’ll ever move from that crypt.”

  She was exasperating, why couldn’t she just answer the question?

  “First, what are the responsibilities of the bond, mine and yours. I won’t make a deal without knowing that much, especially with a dark entity.”

  She sighed, “What do you want the fine print? Fine. I must serve you and obey your orders. You or your creations must never harm me, and you must protect me if anyone violates the core of the dungeon where we live. That’s the lawyer version honey, but there are levels beyond that. It doesn’t say for instance, that I need to volunteer critical information you don’t ask for, or that I can’t interpret your orders in a way you didn’t mean them, but I’d be happy to do that for you. I’ll be a,” she paused a few moments, “well, let’s just say I’ll be a very good girl for you.”

  Her voice was disturbingly sultry, it was a shame at the time it was completely lost on me.

  I was suspicious, “Why, and are you willing to make that a part of the bond?”

  She sighed, “Fine. You are a suspicious one, I will make it part of the bond that I won’t mislead you or purposefully twist your orders. As for why, I’m not ready to tell you, except to say it’s personal, and nothing to do with our bond, or about you being a dungeon.”

  I thought that through for quite a while. I supposed she could keep her secret, as long as she didn’t betray her word.

  “Done.”

  The tentative dark magic link solidified, and connected firmly with my soul, as well as hers. I could feel her in mind, as I was in hers. We couldn’t access each other’s memories, but our thoughts we could share, or block. It was just obvious in the magical configuration, though I had no idea why I could read it so easily.

  That reminded me of the armor, I’d meant to look at those enchantments. I looked and studied, it didn’t take long, my mind seemed to process magical information quickly. There was a light healing enchantment, as well as protective enchantment on the armor. Both light magic.

  “So, what’s a dungeon?”

  She smiled coquettishly, “A dungeon can be a horror, or a boon, or something in between. Your goal as a dungeon is to absorb magic, grow your power, expand your domain, and build. It’s also a lure, the mortal races love to risk their lives for herbs, coins, jewels, magic, and other rewards, including growing more powerful themselves through experience.

  “A good dungeon will balance the difficulty with the reward. It’s also a tightrope walk. You want adventurers to die so you can steal their power, absorb their equipment to learn new magic potions or spells, or enchantments. Not to mentions different types of armor and weapons. As you gain in power, you can add new levels, building down into the Earth, and moving your core lower. Build traps, other challenges, and all that. The more you build and the more challenging, the more power you’ll get from more experienced dungeon divers. Better and more complicated equipment and magic as well.”

  I asked rather confused, “Good? A dark dungeon should be good?”

  She giggled, “It’s all relative. Of course, you’re not really good, as in good and evil. But if you kill every adventurer, or don’t give out rewards, or expand above ground, what they call a runaway dungeon, they will send dungeon killers to destroy your crystal. All I meant by good dungeon was you challenge the fools that come down here to fight for riches and power, and kill them if they fail the challenge.

  “Not bad meaning, not murderous. That won’t work, and they’ll destroy you. If anything, you have to be more careful than most, because we’re dark we already have a point against us in some of the more narrow minded and self-righteous mortals out there. Perhaps a better word would have been equitable. Now, you’re going to need a name, I can’t keep calling you crystal. Mine is Ebony.”

  I replied without thinking, “I think I understand now. My name is Nurien.”

  Wait, what? How did I know that?

  “Any more advice?”

  She smiled, “Lots, but in good time, we should get to work. Although… I’ll tell you right now you should make the levels progressively harder as they move down, to maintain the challenge as they grow with you. Make sense? As for where to start, that’s easy. You my sexy crystal happen to live at the bottom of three levels of catacombs, with tons of dead things.”

  Umm.

  “How is that good?”

  She giggled girlishly, “Well, you can raise all those corpses, your first three levels will be the undead. Most dungeons actually start in a small area and have to build, grow, and find things to create their first monsters. You… well you have quite the free start.

  “We can do something else when you’re ready to grow, it doesn’t have to be all undead. Much like you’re growing your crystal, you can form stairs
down, and then whole new levels. Anyway, first thing you need to do is examine the bones, and any flesh remaining. You should also examine any gold, silver, copper, steal, and jewels down here.”

  I considered telling her I could probably already build another few floors, but there was something far more important first. Plus, I figured I’d need something else monster wise for floors four and below, which I didn’t have yet. I also wasn’t sure how much of the magic I’d gathered would be needed to raise the skeletons, so I might not have as much as I thought.

  “I did that a while ago, what’s next?”

  She sighed, “Okay, so next you’re going to use dark magic to imbue the corpses. That will make skeletons. If you add a little earth and water to the dark, you can make zombies. Earth and water can be used to make flesh, tendons, and muscles. Undead knights and mages are a little harder, you need to add a spark of light magic on top of the other three in order to give them access and control to one of the spheres. Most dungeons don’t start out with so many spheres of magic, but if you’ve got it, you might as well use it…”

  I was confused, it couldn’t be that easy, “Don’t I need to use a pattern in the magic, like the pattern in our bond link? How do I do that, I’d have to see an undead of each type and study it before I could make it. Just shoving raw magic at it won’t work.”

  She frowned, “That knowledge should be intrinsic to a dungeon. Especially a dark dungeon.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t. But… I wondered if I was really a dungeon after all, since my crystal was definitely a prison. Dungeon cores could probably pass magic freely without all the crap I’d had to do to make it all work. Maybe I was just doing dungeon like things to gather power. Still, I had nothing better to do, and it would help me grow in power.

  Honestly, I was already salivating about all the materials and magic I could learn.

  “I have no idea, any thoughts?” I asked rather plaintively.

  She shook her head.

  Oh, I had an idea after all.

  I spun some dark magic into a thread, and speared the soul sharing my crystal.

  “Hello?” I asked internally, blocking my communication instinctively from Ebony.

  “It’s about damned time, let me out of this thing.”

  I replied, “No, what is your name. Mine is Nurien.”

  She growled, “Lila, I’m a succubus.”

  Whatever that was. I could feel her sensuous aura of course, I just really didn’t understand since I was a rock.

  “Do you know how to raise corpses, create undead?”

  She replied cautiously, “Necromancy? What’s it worth to you?”

  I thought about it, and I didn’t know how to force the information from her. I decided I should be honest.

  “What do you want? I’ll tell you right now we’re stuck in here, you might go back to hell if the crystal shatters, but I’m pretty sure I’d die.”

  She snarled, but held her tongue. No doubt remembering that I’d almost snuffed her out of existence, and could do so at any time.

  “What can you give me if we’re stuck in here?”

  I replied, “I think I could give you senses outside, or at least the ability to see through mine, if we bonded.”

  She scoffed, “You want me to serve you?”

  “Well, the only thing you can really do for me is share knowledge, and that’s all I can ask of you. Also, if we create the bond I’ll be required not to kill you as your master, even if you annoy me and I can easily destroy your soul. Plus, at least I’ll be company, and you can see me build my dungeon and kill adventurers. If, you share your knowledge of magic that is.”

  She asked, “All my magic?”

  I replied, “Of course, once you have the senses, and I’ve guaranteed your safety, I have nothing else to offer. So, it’s got to be everything or nothing. Nothing means destroyed by the way, so what’s it going to be?”

  She sighed, “You drive a hard bargain, but you might be sorry you asked for everything, I agree.”

  I set the bond, and perhaps foolishly ignored her warning as unimportant.

  Knowledge streamed into my mind. Dark magic. Necromancy, dark soul magic, curses, sacrifice, enslavement, health draining, death magic, and demon summoning and binding. Spells ranging from simple darkness in a small area, to horrific things. That wasn’t all, I’d said all her magic, so I learned what basic fire magic she knew, which wasn’t much. She could throw fire magic around, and it was also tied to her dark magic when seducing victims to use sex to consume their souls. The fire magic could not just affect fire, it incited passion.

  There was a hell of a lot I wish I didn’t know. It wasn’t all evil of course, but much of it was. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, she was a demoness after all. There were probably other applications of dark magic she didn’t bother learning.

  The necromancer spells were rather complete, I could not only create all four of the beings, but two others as well. A lich and a vampire. Of course, I couldn’t do those two without a soul, so they were out for the time being.

  Lila asked, “Happy now? Hold up your end.”

  Reluctantly, I made my public mind available to her. She couldn’t influence me, but she could see everything I saw, everything I thought, and everything I did. It would have made me feel even more exposed if she could betray me, but she couldn’t. I was her master now. I had both an imp and a succubus, although I had the feeling only the former would freely answer my questions.

  Lila said, “Damned right, and you aren’t a dungeon, I don’t know what you are, but…” she trailed off.

  I asked tentatively, afraid of the answer, “Do you have any idea what I am?”

  Lila sighed, “Well, you do have the power of creation, instinctively just like a dungeon. Mortal races can’t do that, even the most powerful mages need to use a spell to create. So, you are at least, an immortal being of power. Beyond that I couldn’t say. Now pay attention to your little imp before she figures out something is going on, she’s kind of sexy, isn’t she?”

  That didn’t really help, I hoped I’d eventually figure out what I was, but at least I knew what I wasn’t. I wasn’t a dungeon, and I wasn’t a mortal soul. I decided her other advice was sound as well.

  I turned my focus outward, Ebony was still patiently waiting. She was pleasing to the senses, her aura I mean, but I wasn’t sure if that meant sexy. Apparently, focusing inward I could get a lot done, very fast, so I wasn’t even sure if she even knew I had gone. It couldn’t have been more than a handful of seconds since she told me she had no ideas.

  I didn’t have a physical voice, or hands to cast the necromancer spells, but I didn’t need that. I could shape the magic directly, whereas a mortal, or even a demon, needed to use gestures and words to shape magic and cast spells.

  I reached out to the first floor of the catacombs, and imbued the bones with dark magic to create my first skeleton.

  Ebony said, “You did it! You almost had me worried for a second.”

  “I figured it out, yes.”

  One skeleton hadn’t taken all that much magic, but I had the feeling if I’d had to create the bones first it would have cost me more. I sent my magic off and raised all the corpses on the first floor as skeletons. Not just the humans either, dogs and other large animals that had found their way here to die became the first level of my undead. Except the last, I built a zombie in the last part before the stairs, to give the mortals an idea of what was coming next. After a moment of thought, I gave it a sword and shield.

  The second floor was a mix of zombies and skeletons, but the last room had an undead knight in it, which was basically just a zombie with armor, weapons, and was a little more intelligent. That small spark of light magic didn’t give it a soul, or free will, but it gave it intelligence and cunning.

  The third floor was mostly undead knights, and mages. There were two mages of each of the five types. I didn’t bother with a fire mage, sinc
e there was no fire magic for me to absorb, my monsters wouldn’t get any either.

  My magic had taken a hit, but I still had more than half left, and my crystal was absorbing it fast. I decided I’d start building the next three floors, I also had an idea of what would go down there. Unless some monsters came in, I’d have to go with my initial idea. Regardless, it would take a few weeks, I was going to do it slowly. I didn’t like the idea of having my magic hovering around zero.

  Ebony said, “Okay, just one more thing. You need to make a boss mob. I noticed you used the next floor’s mob for that on one and two, but the last room on level three needs something special. Especially if you are changing from undead to something else for level four. Not every level needs a true boss monster, but every section type does. Especially since right now it’s the end of your dungeon. You should also consider how to make shortcuts over sections once you build farther down, but it isn’t needed yet really.”

  “Alright Ebony, how do I make a floor boss?”

  Ebony said, “Simply imbue one of the toughest mobs on the level with magic. It can be an enchantment, or you can try to make the monster evolve with raw magic. Since you don’t really know any enchantments yet, it’s got to be the latter.”

  I did know a few dark enchantments, but they were all curses and wouldn’t help my boss. I wanted to make him stronger, not weaker, clumsy, or stupid.

  I created a new knight in the room next to this one. When I fed it some earth and water magic, it started to grow, and grow, and grow, and then it exploded.

  I thought about it for a minute, and did it again, but stopped before it exploded. It was a huge undead knight, at least twelve feet tall. I stopped adding water, but kept going on the earth a bit, focusing it on the bones, muscles and tendons which made it much stronger and denser. After a minute of thought, I aimed some earth magic at the skin as well which made it leathery, so even if the moral’s attacks got through the armor it would be tough to kill.