Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 53 – The darkest dungeon – Part One

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 53 - The darkest dungeon - Part One

With the capitulation and successful recruitment of the Redmane, Bluemane, and Yellowmane chieftains, the chieftains were sent back to their tribes with the original envoys. Given orders to recruit their tribesmen and lead them back to the new Boarman capital, Hamburg, the chieftains were also ordered to extend invitations to the other chieftains in their respective areas of influence.

The conservative expectation was that the initial migration would take the better part of a week and that the secondary migration would take at least another week longer.

With the knowledge that the closest tribe would begin ferrying its members to their new home within the next couple of days, the Major and I were in agreement that the Conquest needed to begin as soon as possible.

The Blackmane warriors were given reserve status and positioned to defend the innermost walls of the village. Initially upset by the assignment, the senior warriors changed their minds when they realised that I wasn’t taking a position on the frontlines either. Ushu, Cooper, and Dhizi’s arrival quieted any further dissent as they took to the field, roaring and shrieking enthusiastically to one another as they moved to their assigned areas.

Pressing my hand against the monolith that would serve as Hamburg’s Totem, I initiated the Conquest. As I was removing my hand from the Totem, I felt a momentary sense of unease.

Something didn’t feel right.

Carefully scanning my recent notifications, I found nothing out of place. All the same, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

I sent a nearby soldier to fetch Lieutenant Laine while I made my way above ground.

I would have sent for Gregory, but he had returned to the capital before the Conquest.

Laine caught me up before I reached the surface. “You sent for me, Majesty?” She asked without judgement despite having been rostered off duty.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” I explained while trying not to sound self-conscious, “When I initiated the Conquest, something felt...off.”

Lieutenant Laine’s expression was hidden behind her helmet, but her body language betrayed no signs that she wasn’t taking my concerns seriously.

“I want you to pass the word around to keep an eye out for anything strange or out of place,” I ordered, “It might be nothing, but we lose nothing by being on alert.”

Lieutenant Laine nodded in agreement, “As you say, Majesty. I will inform the garrison commanders and spread the word.” She snapped a crisp salute before briskly jogging back down the ramp.

*Tingling*

“Yeah! Rip it to bits! Yea-...Huh?” Clarice looked around in surprise, “This is weird...”

“Clarice, I need you to focus for a minute,” I insisted, “Something about the Conquest didn’t feel right and-”

“You want me to check things out with Dhizi?” Clarice guessed with a grin.

“Basically, yeah,” I agreed, assuming my intentions had been rather obvious.

“Alright,” Clarice agreed with a shrug, catching me off guard.

“That’s it?” I asked warily, “No arguments? No complaining?”

“You want me to?” Clarice threatened with a grin.

“No,” I admitted bluntly, “You just surprised me is all.”

Clarice shrugged and disappeared.

A few moments later, Dhizi leapt up into the sky and began slowly circling the village.

Minutes dragged on and Dhizi made no signs of returning to the ground.

Too anxious to study, I decided to make myself useful and practised my archery on the Pigmen and bear-like Iron Paws attacking the outer walls.

“Is something wrong with your shoulder?” Nadine’s question and presence caught me unawares.

“What?” I asked out of reflex.

“Your shoulder?” Nadine repeated, “You keep scratching it,” she pointed just shy of my right shoulder.

I stared at Nadine for a few moments before raising my left hand and resting it on my left trapezius muscle, “Here?” I asked with a mounting sense of dread.

Nadine nodded but didn’t seem to understand the cause for my concern. “What’s wrong?” She asked, “Do you need me to check it out? I have my tools right here.”

I shook my head and swallowed to try and wet my mouth, “I know why something doesn’t feel right...”

Nadine seemed just as confused as before, “Something is wrong?”

“This floor has a dungeon in it,” I replied quietly, “And the Conquest just woke it up.”

Nadine’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she seized control over herself almost immediately, “You are sure?”

“As much as I can be...” I replied somewhat evasively.

Nadine narrowed her eyes critically, “What does your shoulder have to do with there being a dungeon?”

“It’s the scar, not my shoulder,” I corrected nervously, “When you left to try and rescue Kirk, Rose, and their daughter Millie, we found a dungeon by chance while exploring the underground. Inside, the Angel, Orphiel, he did something to Lash...” I shuddered as I recalled how Lash had immediately fallen into a deep coma.

“Oh...That scar...” Nadine’s expression grew sympathetic for a moment before becoming deeply concerned, “Last time, the guardian was a Hydra right? I’ve spoken to Toofy about it before and I’m pretty sure it was the same Hydra that attacked us on the river...But why would a dungeon on this floor be any different?”

“What do you mean?” I didn’t understand the question.

“Well, shouldn’t that Hydra have tried to attack us while we were doing that Conquest?” Nadine asked critically, “It should have had enough time to attempt the trip.”

“It may have attempted it,” I admitted, “But its only way out of the cavern we found it in was by water. If it had to spend time swimming out to the river first before backtracking, that might be why we were lucky enough not to encounter it. The Hydra also seemed far more suited to water than overland travel.”

“I would have to take your word for it,” Nadine sighed, “Truthfully, I didn’t even get a look at it when it attacked the ship, I was too busy trying to stitch people back together...”

A pained screech from the south immediately seized my attention.

To my horror and surprise, Dhizi was corkscrewing toward the ground half a mile or more from the walls of Hamburg.

Dropping the generic magical bow and arrows, I prepared to jump off the wall.

“WAIT! TAKE ME WITH YOU!” Nadine demanded while fastening her helmet.

With no time to argue, I snatched Nadine up and awkwardly slung her over my shoulder before jumping off the wall. “USHU!!! COOPER!!!” I roared and began charging across the open ground.

Knowing that every second might count, I did my best to make small course corrections or otherwise trample the monsters in my way.

Feeling Ushu coming up behind me, I summoned a magical staff and flooded it with mana to adjust its size. Roughly holding the staff in the centre, I held it above my head while continuing to run as fast as I was able.

Ushu’s foreclaws passed overhead, providing the first and only warning I would receive as his right hind claw seized the magical staff and yanked me off of the ground.

Ignoring the wind whipping through the slits of my helmet thanks to my second set of eyelids, I was both relieved and terrified by how quickly we were coming up on Clarice and Dhizi’s position.

Awkwardly shifting Nadine toward my chest, I tried to tell her what I was planning to do, but my voice was stolen by the wind. So I didn’t blame her as she fought me like a drowning cat.

Just as I was about to let go of the staff, Ushu let go first.

Fumbling to form my arms into a crude roll cage while still maintaining my hold on Nadine, I raised my knees and braced for my inevitable impact against the sparse woodland below.

The fall was only about thirty feet, which was theoretically comparable to falling off a single-story roof for a regular human. However, that knowledge provided little comfort as I crashed bodily through several trees before reaching the ground.

Stiffly unclasping my arm, I felt a flash of panic over Nadine’s potential condition. Those concerns passed a few moments later as Nadine scrambled over me and went running off into the sparse woodland.

Ears still ringing and body aching, I snarled and forced myself to my feet to follow after Nadine.

Before I managed even a couple of steps, the ground shook violently and I nearly fell to my knees. Scrambling forward I somehow managed to regain my momentum. Snatching up Nadine, who had not been so lucky, I continued forward, cresting the hill and skidding down the comparatively short sheer drop on the other side.

*Thwip-CRACK!!!*

I was forced to brace against the cliffside as a torrent of splinters and compressed air momentarily pinned me in place.

In the space of a second, the woodland ahead of us was reduced to a dishevelled and broken wasteland. The bushes had all been uprooted and disappeared, and the trees had lost all but their thickest branches.

In the epicentre of the destruction was Cooper, and beneath her was Dhizi.

Rushing forward again, I was somewhat relieved to see Clarice standing at Dhizi’s side. However, that sense of relief quickly gave way to fresh waves of anxiety as I noticed the monsters groggily pressing forward through the devastated woodland.

Members of Nila’s team were already dismounting Cooper’s saddle and taking defensive positions around Dhizi, but the sheer mass of the monsters would make the fighting incredibly dangerous.

Trampling and swatting at the monsters that got in my way, I came to an awkward stop as I passed the defensive perimeter.

Letting Nadine go, I caught a glimpse of Dhizi’s right-wing and winced.

Bones were piercing the primary flying muscles and a number of the finger bones in the wing membrane were crumpled in painfully unnatural angles. However, the biggest cause for concern was the ten-foot-long stone shaft impaled in her right shoulder.

“Nila! Do what you can to thin out the monsters!” I called out, still unable to hear anything properly and hoping that Nila would have the sense to take measures at her own initiative.

Cooper stalked toward the closest cluster of monsters and set upon them like a fox in a henhouse, ripping and tearing with savage abandon.

“We need to set the bones before you use any magical healing!” I insisted while pointing to Dhizi’s wing, “And we can’t remove, that-” I pointed to the stone shaft, “-until we are prepared to deal with the bleeding! So bones first!”

Nadine and Clarice were arguing or shouting something at one another, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Recognising the danger we were in, I made a choice.

Staggering slightly as my mana dipped to dangerously low levels, I pointed to Dhizi, “Wing first!” I ordered Wraithe while conjuring a mana potion.

Wraithe nodded obediently and immediately set to work, appropriating Nadine’s medical supplies. Her sudden arrival seemed to shock Nadine and Clarice into action.

Nadine began assisting Wraithe while Clarice did her best to keep Dhizi calm.

Able to think somewhat more clearly after drinking the mana potion, I began conjuring supplies Wraithe and Nadine might use to treat Dhizi. Standard field kits wouldn’t cut it, so I went wholesale, appropriating a barrel of high-proof alcohol, tent staves for splints, canvas sheets for sanitary work surfaces, and bolts of spider silk for bandages.

Downing several more mana potions, I anxiously scanned the brutalised treeline for signs of Ushu but saw nothing.

<My Tyrant, we require your assistance to set the bones.> Wraithe’s telepathy caught me off guard and gave me a small fright.

Awkwardly making my way to Dhizi’s side, I took several steadying breaths before taking a moment to make sure Wraithe and Nadine were ready. After confirming that they were ready, I did my best to ignore Dhizi’s trembling and set the first break. Expecting Dhizi to thrash or yank her wing away to stop the pain, I became concerned when she managed only a faint tug.

“We need to work faster!” I insisted, “That thing might have nicked an artery!”

Nadine and Wraithe both nodded animatedly while setting the splint and tying it in place with thick silk thread sewn through the wing membrane in order to encircle the bone thoroughly. We repeated the procedure four more times before I set the finger bones on my own.

“Do it now!” I ordered, trying not to panic as Dhizi’s HP slowly continued to drop.

The staves and thread disappeared in the midst of a golden glow that spread through Dhizi’s entire injured wing.

Feeling the thin finger bones become whole again, I immediately turned my attention toward trying to stabilise Dhizi.

There was no shortage of food in our vicinity, but Dhizi looked too weak to feed herself.

Bearing that in mind, I decided to get creative.

Mentally apologising, I conjured a giant cauldron and its contents from Sanctuary’s cooking fires. Next I conjured a barrel of drinking water and poured as much of the cold water into the steaming stew as possible.

“Open her mouth!” I ordered Wraithe while taking a firm hold on the cauldron.

Wraithe quickly sprang into movement, anchoring her long fingers under Dhizi’s upper lip and heaving to raise her head and open her mouth.

“Hold your breath Dhizi!” I carefully began upending the contents of the cauldron into Dhizi’s mouth. Opening my second pair of eyelids to regain my full vision, I carefully watched Dhizi’s throat for signs of movement. 

To my immense relief, her throat began undergoing rhythmic contractions. With proof that she was able to swallow food on her own, I continued upending the cauldron into her mouth, taking care not to release too much at once.

“If we can get her healthy enough to regain an appetite, the danger should pass on its own!” I reasoned aloud, “We can then remove the spike once she’s stable!”

Clarice nodded emphatically and continued stroking Dhizi while speaking words I couldn’t make out.

<My Tyrant! Danger approaches!> Wraithe warned, pointing her tail and snout toward the north west.

Following her directions, I found Ushu locked in a ferocious battle against someone or something a little larger than myself a few hundred feet away.

Far from being a one-sided fight, Ushu was steadily being driven back in our direction with a number of smaller but familiar-looking spikes embedded in his flanks.

“Clarice! Use your helmet or whatever! Keep feeding Dhizi!” I dropped the cauldron, conjured a barrel of pickled sausages and began running to help Ushu.

As Ushu was driven back after another unsuccessful charge, I got my first clear look at our enemy. It took several more moments before my mind was able to fully comprehend what I was looking at.

Close to twenty feet tall, armed and armoured like an ancient Greek hoplite, the enemy was some kind of giant stone golem. Thick claw marks on its body and shield closed before my eyes as I rushed to Ushu aid.

Changing tactics, I slowed down and conjured one mana potion after another and emptied them down my gullet.

Armoured in plate armour, the Earth Mage Daemon, Cin, appeared at my side.

“Support us as best as you are able!” I ordered, unsure of how exactly the living statue was healing itself or how to stop it.

<I will not fail you, my Tyrant!> Cin replied fervently.

Summoning Cin had taken most of my recently replenished mana, and I was already feeling ill from consuming so many mana potions. Bearing that in mind, I hoped that my instincts regarding the golem were on point.

Riding a fresh rush of adrenaline, I renewed my charge, conjuring a magical two-handed hammer from Sanctuary’s stockpile and resizing it with my dwindling supply of mana.

Gripping the shaft of the hammer with both hands, I held the head of the hammer off to my right side and fought hard to keep my balance while charging over the uneven terrain.

As Ushu was knocked back by the living statue’s shield yet again, its helmed head shifted focus toward me instead. Pulling back its spear and setting it into a special crescent-shaped space on the shield’s side, the living statue angled the head of its spear in my direction.

Realising that the living statue wanted me to continue my charge so it could impale me on its braced spear, I fought against the panic trying to take root in my subconscious.

Gathering a small amount of my dwindling supply of mana, I prepared myself to close the final stretch of the distance between myself and the living statue.

As I anticipated, the moment I came within reach, the living statue thrust forth its spear with incredible speed.

Before the pointed tip of the spear could bore through my flesh, a shaft of stone as thick as my arm erupted out of the ground, driving the spear up and over my shoulder.

Closing the last dozen feet before the living statue could react, I slammed the head of my hammer directly into the centre of the living statue’s shield.

*BOOM!!*

Shards of black stone went flying in all directions, exposing the living statue’s shattered arm.

“USHU!” I roared, letting go of my hammer and grappling with the living statue’s remaining arm to keep its spear aimed away from Ushu.

Mostly blinded by my helmet, I didn’t notice the living statue’s shattered arm take a new form until it was almost too late.

Formed into a fist holding a shortsword, the living statue’s new weapon was thrust toward my exposed right side.

For the second time, a pillar of stone erupted from the ground and drove the sneak attack wide.

Before the living statue could prepare for another strike, Ushu tackled us both to the ground.

Still trying to keep the living statue’s right arm out of the fight, I did my best to ignore Ushu’s jaws and talons as they slammed into the living statue only inches from my back and right arm.

Unfortunately, for all his fury, Ushu didn’t seem capable of inflicting serious harm on the living statue. The deep scratches and gouges repaired themselves faster than Ushu could inflict them, and the shortsword was inflicting no small amount of damage in exchange.

Even in his Manifested state, Ushu was beginning to tire.

“FESK!” I roared in desperation and for an agonising handful of seconds left myself completely vulnerable as I recalled the artefact Shiverfang from its secret hiding place in Sanctuary. “SEND USHU AWAY!” I could feel the bladed head of Shiverfang cutting into my right forefinger as its undersized form materialised in my meaty fist.

<Get it to Fesk!> I practically threw the words at Cin as I dropped Shiverfang to the ground and grabbed hold of the living statue’s left arm to stop it from shivving me to death.

Ushu bellowed in rage but retreated.

Straining my muscles against the solid stone of the living statues arms, I felt a dull thud land against my crotch. The blow was repeated several more times to no effect before I realised what the living statue was attempting to do.

Snarling in fury, I redoubled my efforts on restraining the living statue's arms and keeping it pinned to the ground.

Crude hands of stone rose from the ground and joined in my struggle.

*CLANG*

Without warning, the living statue slammed its head into mine, ringing my helmet like a bell and cracking its head slightly. As the living statue drew its head back for another strike, the cracks disappeared.

*CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...*

I endured several more blows in somewhat rapid succession and lost half of my field of view as my helmet deformed under the onslaught.

Through the combination and the crumpling of my helmet, I very nearly missed it. There had been a faint red light within one of the deeper cracks in the living statue’s head, and it had made sure to seal the crack before attacking again. 

Too heavily concussed to read the group status, I wasn’t even sure Cin or Wraithe’s projections were still active, so I settled for the telepathic equivalent of screaming into the void. <THE HEAD! THE HEAD IS ITS WEAK POINT!> I wasn’t even sure if that was true but I didn’t have the mental resources to spare in order to think it through.

Between the concussion and staving off Primal Rage, it was becoming increasingly difficult to think at all.

*CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...*

Through pure destructive happenstance, the living statue’s destructive assault restored my vision as the riveted seam of my helmet split apart.

Blearily watching the living statue retract its head for another strike, I braced myself for the blow and suppressed the rage welling up inside of me.

Something hit the square of my back but was too light to deal any damage so I ignored it.

*CRACK* 

The living statue’s stone helmet crashed into my largely unprotected brow, drawing blood. However, instead of retracting its head for another strike, the living statue began to convulse as if it was in the grips of a violent seizure.

Suddenly bathed in crimson light, I struggled to keep the living statue pinned in place.

Through the mangled mess of my helmet, I saw Fesk struggling to maintain a hold of Shiverfang’s shaft as the living statue’s head jerked from one side to another. In its efforts to dislodge Fesk and Shiverfang, the living statue only succeeded in driving Shiverfang’s blade deeper, intensifying the crimson light spilling out of the cracks in its head.

Cracks began spreading across the living statue’s entire body and its limbs lost their structural integrity, snapping free as the living statue continued its attempts to free itself.

Without warning the living statue suddenly grew still and the crimson light began to fade.

Too out of it to make out the contents of the kill notification, I took a few moments to try and clear my head. Unfortunately, it made little difference.

Shakily getting to my feet, I snapped the strap of my helmet and pushed the mangled metal remains off of my head and took several deep breaths. 

Still unable to concentrate I staggered and tripped over the now dormant statue’s body, falling to the ground.

A part of me wanted to just lay there, close my eyes, and let the darkness claim me. However, the memory that I had brought Nadine into immediate danger was enough to needle at my sense of duty and drive me to my feet again. At the very least, I had to see Nadine back to safety.

Staggering for a moment as I tried to get my bearings, I felt a tug on my right forefinger. Looking down, I found Fesk urgently pulling on my finger with the claws of his right hand.

In the span of a millisecond, the fog clouding my mind cleared and my consciousness was brought crashing into full awareness.

Ushu and Cooper had established and were maintaining a defensive perimeter in the ruins of the woodlands, actively stalking and ripping apart all monsters that dared approach. A second defensive perimeter was held by Nila, her team, Clarice, and Nadine, who encircled Dhizi directly.

The stone shaft had been removed from Dhizi’s right shoulder, but she still looked like she was in rough shape, unable to place weight on her right wing.

Fesk staggered and would have fallen if the claws from his Manifested form weren’t hooked in my finger. It was a good thing too because Fesk was still holding Shiverfang in his free hand, and flailing the artefact around in a panic was guaranteed to end poorly.

Dangerously low on mana, I resisted the urge to recall Shiverfang through magical means. Instead, I took hold of Fesk with my left hand and pulled my finger free from his claws. Instead of leaving him be, I lifted Fesk off the ground and held him against my chest as if I was nursing a sprain.

Thankfully, Fesk took the initiative to take hold of Shiverfang with both hands and pointed the blade out and to my left, out of harm's way.

With a clear head, but still profoundly tired, I determinedly made my way back over toward Dhizi.

What had taken only moments to accomplish while under the influence of adrenaline took far longer in my current state of lethargy. Two full minutes passed before I was able to lower Fesk to the ground beside Nadine.

“He has a concussion,” I grunted before Nadine had a chance to say a word, “The only thing we have for it is the powdered willow bark.”

Nadine nodded emphatically while removing Fesk’s helmet, “I need mana potions! I’m almost out of mana!”

I nodded and conjured several mana potions from Sanctuary’s storage. Intending to kneel down and hand them to her, I found myself sitting instead.

“We need more food for Dhizi!” Clarice demanded, “But we aren’t big enough to drag back anything Cooper and Ushu leave behind!”

Thoroughly famished myself, I nodded and pulled more supplies from Sanctuary’s storage. Lifting a barrel, I broke the capping lid like the tab of a soda can and handed it off to Clarice.

Struggling slightly under the weight, Clarice grit her teeth and grunted in appreciation before staggering back toward Dhizi.

Compared to when I had last seen her, Dhizi was doing considerably better. The crash landing had taken a great deal out of her, and the subsequent internal bleeding wouldn’t have helped either. So I was glad that there did not appear to be any further complications. 

Upending another barrel’s contents down my throat, I felt the lingering aches and pains in my arms and forehead begin to recede. I was still profoundly tired due to my low mana, but the sensation of my physical recovery was accompanied by a dopamine rush that helped take the edge off.

No longer needing to push back against Primal Rage, I focused my attention on how best to see us all back to safety. It only took me a few moments to realise what needed to be done.

“USHU!” I bellowed with as much urgency and authority as I could muster, causing Nadine to nearly leap out of her skin in fright. Making a mental note to apologise to her later, I forced myself to my feet. If I wanted to stand a chance at successfully ordering Ushu to do anything, I needed to present strength, confidence and authority.

After dashing apart another group of Wild Pigmen, Ushu swiftly cut back from the outer defensive perimeter before skidding to an abrupt halt that left his serrated fangs a handspan from my face.

“I need you to use Sin Eater on Dhizi!” I stated boldly while making sure not to phrase it as a request or as an order.

Ushu turned his head slightly to one side and stared at me with his Daemon Manifested eyes.

“The sooner she can fly, the sooner we can return to the Settlement!” I pressed, refusing to back down or be intimidated.

Technically, Fesk was probably capable of the same feat, but I had a number of concerns regarding the Sin Eater’s Ability to proportionately distribute incoming damage. My greatest fear was that Dhizi’s fractured wing bones would translate to Fesk’s entire right arm, hand, and finger bones shattering and initiating an unstoppable cascade of internal haemorrhaging and infections.

Ushu bared his twin rows of teeth in a bloody snarl and crimson gobbets of saliva spattered around me as he let out a low hiss. Then Ushu abruptly turned his focus away from me and toward Dhizi and Clarice. His pupils narrowed. 

Dhizi chittered in a supplicating tone while Clarice stood defiantly between them with a scowl on her lips and a burning resolve in her eyes.

The three eyes on the right side of Ushu’s face rolled in their sunken armoured sockets and Ushu released another low hiss, only this time it sounded more put out than irritated or annoyed. Snaking his neck forward, Ushu knocked Clarice aside with effortless ease and pressed his snout against Dhizi’s right side.

An audible crackling noise came from Ushu’s right wing and was accompanied by a low rumbling from Ushu's chest.

The crackling noises persisted for the better part of a minute and all the while Ushu continued flexing, extending and contracting his right wing.

As the seconds passed, Dhizi’s breathing became more regular.

Drawing away from Dhizi, Ushu shook his head and snorted while gingerly opening his wings to their full extension.

Dhizi made a strange chirping noise and nudged Ushu’s neck with her horned snout before carefully backing away.

For her part, Clarice had remained silent all throughout, even after Ushu knocked her down. Now, with Ushu backing away, Clarice seemed determined to make up for it by animatedly hugging Dhizi and doting on her in a tone other women would have reserved for infants.

“We need to leave,” I told Nila, “Nadine and Fesk will mount up on Ushu, and Clarice will take Dhizi. Once they are mounted up, they can cover you and your team while you mount up in turn.”

Nila nodded apprehensively in agreement, “But what of you, Majesty?”

“I’ll have to walk,” I sighed tiredly and raised a hand to forestall any complaints, “You can have Cooper accompany me on the ground. I said you had to mount up, not fly.”

Nila nodded again, this time somewhat sheepishly.

Whether it was because of lingering pain, or anxiety over leaving Cooper behind, Ushu remained landbound. 

Clarice left with Dhizi the moment she settled into the saddle, headed directly back toward Hamburg at a somewhat leisurely speed.

My own journey on foot was an odd combination of intermittent anxiety generated by Ushu and Cooper crashing around my immediate vicinity as they intercepted wild monsters, and mind numbing monotony as I struggled to stave off mana fatigue and continue putting one foot in front of the other.

Eventually, we made it to the relative safety of the outermost walls.

Fesk and Nadine dismounted Ushu before leaving him to his own devices, while Nila sent away half of her team to report on what had happened.

Dhizi and Clarice retreated all the wall back to the village, settling down in the open space beneath the tower.

Once I made it down to the cavern below, I downed one of the highest-tier Evolution Elixirs available in the stockpile and collapsed into my bed. I hoped that the Elixir would take the edge off of the accumulated impurities from the mana potions, but I wasn't particularly optimistic. Closing my eyes I surrendered to the fatigue and let my mind drift into unconsciousness.

Waking abruptly to the foul odour of ammonia and a painfully intense headache, I felt an intense wave of panic. Afraid that Ushu had gone rogue and gassed the cavern, my panic only abated when I noticed Nadine awkwardly crawling off of my bed with a large pouch that I quickly identified as the source of the ammonia.

I waved my bed sheet vigorously to try and disperse the smell while I mentally lamented ever having taught Nadine about smelling salts.

Listening but not really processing what Nadine was saying, I latched onto the two words, “Pain relief,” and began to follow her suggestions on autopilot. 

I conjured a handful of low-tier Evolution Elixirs and a barrel of Grove water. After emptying the Elixirs into the barrel, I downed the combined contents in one pull. Similar to how water alleviates a headache brought on by dehydration, the Grove water took the edge off the pain in my head while the alcohol in the Elixirs dampened the pain overall.

“It’s proven quite popular in Sanctuary amongst the junior Surgeons,” Nadine explained with a small smile, “The Grove water dilutes the accumulated impurities and gives a little mana in the process, so it didn’t take long for people to figure that part out. I think the Elixir component was largely accidental. Like, maybe someone was trying to medicate the pain with alcohol or something?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I sighed while massaging my temples, “Especially after the willow bark failed to work.”

Nadine seemed surprised, “How did you know they tried willow bark? Oh...” She slapped her forehead and snickered, “Of course, you would know, you were the one that told us about how to use it in the first place.”

“Qreet, or maybe Hana or Kohana might be able to create a strain of willow with high volumes of mana in it,” I suggested with a groan, “But it would still be debatable whether the chemicals in the bark would contribute toward lessening the pain to any meaningful degree.”

“I hadn't thought of that...” Nadine admitted, “Do you think something like that might work?”

“Maybe,” I replied with a snort, “But I doubt it. The best cure is probably just drinking as much as you can stand, and then taking a very long bath in Grove water.”

“Or getting very drunk,” Nadine agreed, “People have done that too.”

“Sleeping it off, in general, is probably a good recommendation,” I agreed wistfully, wishing I could do exactly that. “How long until midnight?” I grunted.

“Less than an hour,” Nadine admitted somewhat apologetically, “I wouldn’t have used the smelling salts, but you seemed pretty integral to fighting the dungeon guardian the first time...”

“It’s fine...” I sighed and summoned another barrel of Grove water and turned my attention toward Fesk.

No longer maintaining his Manifested form, his change in appearance could only be attributed to an Evolution. Slightly taller, Fesk now stood eye to eye with Nadine. His skin had lost its slight translucency and had taken on a chalky white tone instead. Fesk’s hair had yellowed considerably, and the crimson tips had lengthened toward the roots giving him the appearance of someone who irregularly dyed their hair. Fesk’s fingernails had become short thick claws that matched the same colour as his hair. 

Having expected more radical differences in Fesk’s appearance for undergoing a major Evolution, I was about to check what Abilities he might have gained but was interrupted by a comment from Nadine.

“He’s Evolved three times,” Nadine stated with a broad grin that only grew wider as I stared at her incredulously.

“What?!” I demanded.

“Fesk’s evolved three times since you had him messing around with the Warlock business,” Nadine elaborated, still grinning.

#It is true.# Fesk signed with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

“Lesser Dhampyr Thinblood...” I narrowed my eyes at Fesk and waited for an explanation.

“It was the best available option!” Nadine interjected heatedly with a hint of embarrassment, “It was this or some disgusting undead creature!” She insisted.

“I’m not judging...” I sighed, “I just want an explanation. Where I am from, what Fesk has chosen to become is a variation on a vampire, sort of. With how similar Vampyrs have behaved to the vampires I know of, I believed it warranted at least some degree of explanation.” The headache generated from mana fatigue was making it difficult to keep my temper, but I refused to let my frustration get the better of me.

 “Oh...” Nadine deflated somewhat.

Fesk seemed confused, raising and lowering his hands several times without committing to signing a word.

“Blood Is Strength seems...fine,” I grunted while reviewing his status, “There is no shortage of wild monsters, so acquiring blood isn’t an issue. Call Of Blood is far more concerning but manageable. You will need access to-” I glanced at Nadine, sighed, and rolled my eyes, “-whatever...I can only assume that my own Ability not activating means that you haven’t been leveraging Predatory Charm against unwilling subjects...”

Nadine’s cheeks flushed bright red and she made a point of avoiding eye contact.

“Which naturally means that Nadine is your Familiar?” I prompted, refusing to let the matter drop until it was confirmed or denied.

Fesk nodded timidly. #Yes.#

I massaged my brow and then rubbed at my eyes, “My head hurts too much to think about all this,” I complained irritably, “So I am going to make things incredibly simple. Fesk, if Nadine ever wants out, that’s all there is to it. Got it?”

#Yes# Fesk signed hurriedly.

“There are several layers of questionable consent going here and I don’t have the patience to sort through it right now,” I groaned and got to my feet, “If Ushu runs amok, he’s your responsibility.”

It was impossible for Fesk’s skin to grow paler than it was already, but I derived a small perverse sense of satisfaction in pretending the threat had that effect. However, so far as I was aware, Ushu had been behaving no more violently than usual. So there seemed to be no real cause for concern.

Fesk nodded solemnly and removed Shiverfang from its resting position couched against his shoulder. He then carefully offered to return it to me.

Resisting the temptation to refuse, I silently took hold of the shaft of the spear and slowly increased its size to better avoid cutting my fingers on the blade. “Before, with the statue, you did good, Fesk.” If ever there had been a point to express disloyalty it had been while I was grappling with the living statue.

Fesk could have driven Shiverfang through the back of my head and killed me with little effort. He also could have stabbed me to death in my sleep as well, I supposed. Even if he hadn’t understood how powerful Shiverfang was when fighting the living statue, Fesk would have had a relatively good idea afterwards.

It was one of the reasons why I had Shiverfang hidden away in the first place. Its passive property of ignoring damage mitigation from Toughness made it too dangerous to keep in my presence. A single mistake in battle could lead to Shiverfang being turned on me instead. With the overwhelming majority of my defence coming from my Toughness, such an incident could easily prove fatal.

All the same, with so little mana on hand and the living statue due to respawn soon, I felt like I didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, with the Conquest still ongoing, there was no way to send Shiverfang back to Sanctuary. I had no choice but to make the most of the situation.

Worse still, I was being forced into a position where I was almost guaranteed to have to use Shiverfang in front of a large number of witnesses. The last thing I wanted was for Shiverfang’s capabilities to become common knowledge, but I couldn’t justify the risks presented by not using it.

Grinding my teeth in aggravation, I stomped my way toward the tunnel that would take me to the surface, hoping that the fresh air would somehow lessen my pounding headache.

***** Nila - Asrusian Capital Labyrinth ~ Eighth Floor *****

Having taken a break from the fighting, Nila was giving Cooper’s saddle a once-over to make sure that none of the straps had received serious damage. During her downtime, Nila had time to reflect on the role she played in fighting the dungeon guardian.

If she was being objectively honest, Nila didn’t think she came close to living up to her potential at all. Cooper’s status as a Pact Binder had completely slipped her mind, and it wasn’t until his Majesty had Summoned projections of two Daemons into the battle that Nila even considered them an option.

Granted, Nila was fairly certain Cooper was only capable of Summoning projections of the one Daemon, Cin. However, there had also been nothing stopping Cooper from Summoning multiple copies of Cin’s projection. Worse still, Cin had been his Majesty’s go-to choice for combat support against the dungeon guardian.

It was a small consolation that none of her superiors or peers were knowledgeable enough on the subject to recognise her mistake. All the same, Nila was expecting his majesty to chastise her once the Conquest was completed. Her incompetence had led to his Majesty enduring a vicious beating so they could emerge victorious.

Nila’s shoulders slumped dejectedly. She had known from the beginning that her promotion had been a mistake. His Majesty had only chosen her by chance. Literally, anyone else could have been chosen if they had happened to be standing in his Majesty’s vicinity at the time, and Nila was dreading when someone else would realise it.

As something of a silver lining, Cooper had learned the true name to the towering rodent-like Surgeon Daemon during the battle. Nila wasn’t exactly certain how or when it had happened, only that it had. This gave her cause to tentatively raise her spirits somewhat. Nila figured that if she escaped with only a moderate reprimand, she would make a point of acquiring other true names and adding them to Cooper’s repertoire.

Nila was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Cooper’s shift in attention until it was too late.

“How are you doing Cooper?” His Majesty grunted from the darkness beyond Nila’s torchlight.

Cooper made a playful keening noise she normally reserved for when it was feeding time.

“You are doing alright? That’s good,” His Majesty continued conversationally, “Here you go.”

A bloody Swamp Lurker carcass materialised in the shadows and fell a couple of feet before Cooper’s jaws materialised out of the darkness and snapped it up.

“Hrmph, you're just like Ushu,” his Majesty muttered with exaggerated scorn, earning an impatient huff from Cooper in response. “Fine.”

A second Swamp Lurker fell toward the ground. This time, Cooper wasn’t fast enough and had to scoop it up off the ground, digging thick grooves in the dirt with her teeth as she did so.

Cooper merrily crunched away, enjoying her treat while an awkward silence settled on Nila’s shoulders.

Knowing that this was the moment she had been waiting for and dreading, Nila took comfort in the fact that one way or the other, it would be over.

Only, nothing happened.

The silence continued to drag on longer and longer with no signs of ending.

Unable to take the suspense anymore, Nila decided to take the initiative. “Majesty, I know that I-”

“Hrm? Sorry, I was miles away,” his Majesty apologised, “I drank too many mana potions and the headache is killing me.”

Nila lost track of what she was saying and fell into an awkward silence.

“What were you saying?” His majesty prompted apologetically, although there was a hint of impatience in his tone as well.

“The battle against the dungeon guardian,” Nila replied hastily, “I didn’t make the best use of the Abilities at my disposal. I failed to Summon additional aid through Cooper’s Summoning Ability and-”

“I forgot she could do that...” His Majesty interrupted with an annoyed sigh, “Not that Cin was particularly helpful in restraining the damn thing...Although it wasn’t really her fault...It’s not like she had the mana she needed...”

Nila stared up at the darkness in confusion, unsure of whether his Majesty was speaking to her or just thinking aloud. Unable to see his face without raising her torch dangerously and disrespectfully close to his Majesty’s face, there was no way to tell for certain.

“Nila? Remind me to have Gric introduce everyone to Cooper after the Conquest ends,” his Majesty grunted somewhat distractedly, “Should have at least had Wraithe introduce herself at the time...Oh...You should have that guy they brought in for the reconstruction work Summon Qreet. I’d do it, but I’m low enough on mana as it is...”

“Ah, yes, Majesty...” Nila agreed obediently despite her confusion over his train of thought, “I, uh, I will see to it right away...” She gulped nervously and steeled her nerve, “Ah, but, what about my punishment?” Nila struggled not to flinch.

“Punishment?” His Majesty repeated, “What punishment? Huh? No, Nila, I’m not going to punish you for not having the wherewithal to make the most of a second set of Abilities you just gained access to. I’m not a-” He paused for a moment, “Well, I am a Tyrant, but I like to think I’m not a dick about it...”

Nila didn’t know what to say.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Gregory told me that responsibility lies with the senior most officer or military official in attendance,” his Majesty stated somewhat distractedly, “Which would have been me, not you, Nila. After taking so many blows to the head, I’m willing to call the whole thing a wash. There's definitely room for improvement, but I’m not going to punish anyone over it.”

“Oh...” Nila didn’t really know what to say, “Thank you, Majesty?”

“You’re welcome,” his Majesty replied and began to walk away, “Now, if you want to go see that guy about the thing, I’m going to try and think of how to make our next confrontation with the dungeon guardian as skewed in our favour as possible.”