Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 333 (Patreon)

On my way back from SakuraCon now. But I had a chapter in the buffer, so you don't have to worry!

Chapter 333 – The Arena

Bargulg fell to one knee, panting as he tried to recover a bit of his strength. Two back-to-back rounds of enemies had been rough. The first was a group of ten goblins that were at level 45 in Tier 2. Not strong enough to pose a serious threat, but definitely strong enough that they had to fight seriously.

No sooner had the last goblin fallen, however, when a gate opened into the arena, and fifteen Knight Slimes, all at Level 50 of Tier 2, appeared. That had been a hard fight, one that pushed their limits. However, they managed to get through it without any major injuries. Which was fortunate, since the gate was opening again, and their next opponents marched out.

Lailah Freeheart

High Atlantean Female

Level 3 Blade of Deadly Shadows / Soulhunter

Titles: Silent Killer, Demon’s Bane, Chainbreaker, Slave, Dungeon Bound, Accommodating

Daphiel Freeheart

High Atlantean Female

Level 3 Darkblessed Champion of Kuronoth / Soulforger

Titles: God Touched, Weapon Mistress, Testifier, Accommodating, Dungeon Bred, Slave, Dungeon Bound

Sabrael Freeheart

High Atlantean Female

Level 3 Truesight Arcanist of the Weave / Soulbinding Enchantress

Titles: Genius, Arcane Blood, Seer, Submissive, Slave, Dungeon Bound

Bargulg groaned softly as he forced himself to his feet. He knew of these three, from the other adventurers they’d talked to. Former bounty hunters in the service of Pofmis, their attempt to steal one of the Lord’s possessions had found them bound to him. Now, clearly, they had thrown away their former allegiances, and worshipped Lord Kuronoth.

All three were Tier 3, that much was obvious. The Champion nodded to him as he and his pets moved to face them. “Well met, Bargulg. You and your pets fight well. But you’ll have to do better than that, if you intend to succeed in your quest. After all, the foes only get more difficult from here.”

Bargulg just nodded in return. “That is why we delve into dungeons, after all. To push ourselves, and to grow stronger with every battle. So long as you are not dead, you can learn, and grow stronger, right?”

“Indeed,” she said, as she moved into a ready stance. “Now, let us fight, in our Lord’s name!”

The fight was fast, and furious. Bargulg and his pets had the numbers, as they had against the bosses of the Black Temple, but these three were fighters more than lovers, and it showed. The Darkblessed Champion did not let herself get pulled away from the Truesight Arcanist. The Arcanist, meanwhile, had barriers in place, keeping out Tanila’s shots and Ashera’s blades. And Ena’s spell…

Her spell never came, as she was interrupted mid-cast by twin blades sprouting from her chest, having pierced through her armor with ease. As the sorceress fell to her knees, the Blade of Deadly Shadows disappeared into Ena’s shadow, only to emerge from Bargulg’s own shadow! One blade slipped through his armor, stabbing deep in his side, but he managed to grab the Atlantean’s other hand, keeping her second blade from striking.

Ratha’s shield blocked a sword thrust from the Darkblessed Champion that was aimed for his back, allowing him to focus on the rogue. He dropped his sword to grab the woman’s other hand as she tried to rip her blade out of his gut. The weakness in abilities that took people into shadows, or similar effects, was that they typically required any ‘passengers’ to be willing, if they allowed passengers at all. And few of those types of abilities allowed one to escape when they were already grabbed.

Inch by inch, Bargulg forced the woman’s hands apart. He heard her scream as he used his strength to clamp down upon her wrists, making her drop her knives. She tried to kick him, but she didn’t have the strength, or the leverage, to actually damage him, though kicking where she’d stabbed definitely still hurt. Her screams grew more intense as he roared, and pulled harder.

And then, all of a sudden, his arms jerked back, like they’d been pulling on two ends of a rope that had just been cut in the middle. In either hand, he still held one of the woman’s wrists, but her arms had been ripped off at he shoulders! With a roar of triumph, he kicked the Atlantean in the face, sending her sprawling on the sand, and turned to face the other two.

Except there was only one standing. Ashera had managed to slip behind the Champion, and deliver two devastating stab wounds to the woman’s neck. Not enough to kill her, evidently, but enough to give her some serious debuffs. Perhaps even the Crippled debuff. Injuries to the spine were nasty like that. She was out of the fight, at least until she healed herself.

The Arcanist wove several spells together, sending jets of flame, ice, and lightning at them, but Ratha activated her [Call Attack] and [Iron Fortitude] skills, causing the spells to curve off-course and strike her shield, just as her other skill boosted her defense. The next second, a blast of black and red flame flew past Bargulg’s shoulder and slammed into the Arcanist’s barrier magic. And then it broke through, and the Arcanist used all her power to keep it at bay with a hastily cast spell. Unfortunately for her, that left gaps in her other defenses, and Tanila did not miss the gap, her shot putting a new hole in the center of the mage’s head.

Bargulg felt the strength leaving him, as he stumbled back, and took a knee once more. Then the pain of his wounds disappeared, as Lyrei came up to him. “Master, you know activating [Draconic Rage] isn’t good for you.”

Bargulg chuckled as he looked up at Lyrei, “Didn’t realize I’d used it until it wore off.” Looking over his shoulder, he saw Ena, on her feet once more, but looking shaky as she leaned against her staff. “How bad?”

“You and Ena came damn close to dying, or at least getting taken out of the fight. Everyone else is mostly fine, but three tough fights in a row is not doing us any favors. You should drink a potion to recover the rest of the way, Master. I need to conserve mana.”

“Right,” he said, as he pulled a potion out of his inventory and drank it. As he finished the draught, he looked around. “This can’t be the end of the floor. I heard the boss was one of two beings, not this trio.”

“That’s because these three aren’t dead yet, Master,” Ashera called out. He saw her standing over the defeated rogue. “Well, they’re all almost gone, but we have a little bit until they finally pass, unless you want us to end them?”

“Status check. How is everyone?”

Ena coughed, and said, “MP at 80%. HP at 35% and rising.”

Tanila looked over, and said, “HP at 95%, MP at 83%.”

Ashera called out, “HP at full, MP at 70%.”

Ratha stood straight, and said, “HP at 70%, MP at 85%.”

Finally, Lyrei said, “MP at 50%, HP at full.”

“All right,” he nodded, seeing that his own HP had risen to 50%, while his MP was still almost 70%. “Drink potions and use other recovery items while we can. Lyrei, let me know when you’re at 90% MP. Ena, tell me when you get to 90% HP.”

They all nodded, but Ashera looked down at the rogue next to her. “What about these three, Master?”

He sighed, “They fought well, and normally, I would put them out of their misery because of that, but we need all the time we can get to recover. Ashera, see if you can’t at least use one of your poisons to put them to sleep, so at least they don’t feel pain.”

“Of course, Master.”

Before long, the three sleeping Atlanteans disappeared, their bodies crumbling to dust as they died. As the gate began to open, Bargulg checked his party one last time. Ena was still at only 80% HP, but everyone else was at full HP and MP, so they’d just have to protect her that much more.

Tels Xuan

Sinisterly Sanctified Atlantean Female

Level 11 Dark Saint / Artisanal Armorer

Titles: Kinslayer, Betrayed One, Slave, Dungeon Bound, Devoted

Chainheart

Greater Banshee Female

Level 5 Soul of Darkness / Souleater

Titles: Tough, Slave, Dungeon Bound, Tormented, Wrath-filled

Bargulg frowned as he looked at the gate, and the two figures walking through it. Both were Tier 3, of course. But one was the Dark Saint that they had heard about, while the other was the defiled Crusader-Champion. If they were both here, then that meant they had to face both of them?

The Soul of Darkness had her spectral form, which replicated her, when she fell. But in her hand was a glowing spectral blade that shed a soft blue light upon the sand. He knew this was a Ghost Blade of some sort, a type of equipment designed expressly to be wielded by, or against, incorporeal foes. No doubt, she had plenty of nasty abilities to go alongside that, as well.

The Dark Saint, on the other hand, was a clad in black power armor. A two-handed sword floated by her back, and a one-handed blade lay sheathed at her side. In her right hand, she held a strange gun that looked to have been combined with a crossbow, for some reason. All of it looked deadly dangerous.

The Dark Saint nodded to them, and said, “Well done on coming so far, and on your first attempt. Truly, you do the Lord proud with your dedication. Even when you suffer grievous wounds, you do not panic, but act with purpose.”

Bargulg nodded in return. “Domination is about control. One cannot walk the path of dominance without first learning to control oneself. That is the path of the brute, the savage, the conqueror, not domination.”

“Straight from the ‘Lord’s’ book,” the Soul of Darkness snarled. “Do not think that quoting scripture will do you any good here, dragon-child. If I weren’t bound to this foul place, and forced to serve your bastard god, I would have smitten you to ash for speaking such things in front of me.”

“Hush, now, Chainheart,” the Dark Saint said. “The adults are talking. And you, out of everyone, should know that your bitch goddess has fallen even lower than you, now. Or would you like to join her in being a limbless toy for men to use and cast aside?”

Bargulg raised an eyebrow, even though it couldn’t be seen beneath his helmet. Looking to the Dark Saint, he asked “So, the former Crusader-Champion still does not venerate the Lord Kuronoth? Does she remain faithful to what Pofmis used to be, rather than her current state?”

The Saint laughed. “Oh, she might keep that faith in her heart, but my Lord forcibly converted her to his faith, when he took her in hand. She has no choice but to worship him, and it is from him that what divine energies she can channel flow. Of course, that doesn’t mean she has to like it, and the Lord has seen fit not to forbid her from using such language to describe him.”

“I presume because he enjoys punishing her too much to outlaw it?”

“Precisely! His fight with her was but one move in the larger game against Pofmis, but he keeps watch over her, to see which way she squirms, just in case. Who knows, her struggles might teach him something new?”

“And thus, from watching his enemies, did Kuronoth gain the secret to overcoming them,” Bargulg quoted.

“Very good, Bargulg, son of Balreren. Now, we have talked as much as we are able. Take up arms, and let us see if you have the mettle to pass on, to the floors below!”