Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 342 (Patreon)

Chapter 342 – Challenge

Bargulg led the way forward, as was his right. No, as was his duty, in this place, the heart of his Lord’s realm. The Master should lead the Slaves forward on this final step of the pilgrimage, not hide behind them as shields. That was the difference between one who Dominates, and one who Controls.

The boss room was expansive, easily large enough for wide-spread battles to take place. Just from the doorway, he could see that they would have to be careful of positioning, otherwise they might get out of range of support spells, or lose line of sight. And there looked to be a barrier separating the center area from the main part of the room. Probably a barrier to keep magic from passing through, by the look of it. That meant that they’d have to get in close.

Looking down, he saw that the platform they stood on was actually made of hardened shadow, with a step down to the floor itself. The square tiles of the floor were strange. Half of them looked to be normal stone, but the other half looked to have glowing shadows on them, with them arrayed like some kind of game board. Obviously, there was something up with this room.

Bargulg bowed his head to the avatar of his Lord, sitting upon the throne before him. “We meet again, my Lord. Before we begin this contest, may we know the rules of this room?”

“Ah, it is so nice to have guests that are properly respectful, and know how to ask the right questions. As you can see, a barrier separates the center of this room from the outside. Magic spells cannot penetrate one way or the other through the barrier. However, anyone who wishes can simply walk through it without a care, and it will not dispel any effects they have upon them, and someone with a bow or rifle could try to shoot through it, though those inside the barrier may have their own defenses, and will certainly be able to shoot back.

“For those who decide not to get close, I would direct their attention to the floor. Every tile in the floor is trapped with random magical effects, though not all tiles are armed at once. The ones in black are armed and dangerous, but they will change periodically, and in different patterns. Once the fight begins, the shadow platform you are standing on will disappear, and, the trapped tiles will change every six seconds. For fairness, there will be a one second delay between a tile turning black, and the trap arming, giving someone a chance to remove themselves from danger.

“Please be assured that none of the traps on this difficulty are instantly lethal. However, I cannot promise that being paralyzed in a boss battle, or suffering other such effects, will be anything but unhealthy. Especially when falling for one trap may leave the person vulnerable to other traps, as well.”

Bargulg took a breath to consider that. This kind of fight did not favor him, and his group. Sure, several of them were good at close-range combat, but aside from the Avatar, the other four on that central platform looked to be the fighter and warlock the Guild had warned him of, with Tier 3 races and classes, a massive demon who wielded Abyssal Flame, just like Ena, and what looked to be a Tier 3 version of the slime that possessed Ashera earlier in the dungeon. That would not be an easy fight.

On the other hand, there looked to be little in the way of ranged attackers in the group. They could try and hang back, since he made sure all his pets had ranged options. But the fighter and Avatar doubtless had ways to protect themselves from ranged attacks, and the warlock probably had spells to help with that, as well. More importantly, they would have to fire while constantly moving, thanks to the traps. Eventually, someone would mess up, and that could start a chain reaction.

“Are all the difficulties like this, my Lord?”

The Avatar chuckled. “Looking to bring information back to the Guild? Do so with my blessing. The more the adventurers of Swamptown know, the more entertainment I get out of them, after all.

“As for your question? On Nightmare difficulty, there is no lag between the color changing and the trap’s activation, and many of the options can prove lethal or severely debilitating. However, on the ‘normal’ difficulty, for those who sign the lesser contract? The setup remains the same, but the tiles are trapped for twelve seconds, with a two second grace period when they first come on, and none are instantly lethal.”

Bargulg considered that. So, the ‘normal’ mode had twice the amount of cushion, but otherwise things were all the same? That would make for a very difficult fight, even if the enemies wouldn’t be in Tier 3, like they were seeing now. That meant that groups would have more of a chance, at least.

“Just two more questions, my Lord. First, if members of your party descend from that central area, will the traps affect them?”

“No, the traps are keyed so that creatures of the dungeon are unaffected by them.”

That was unfortunate, but in line with his expectations. It would be too easy to change the tide of a fight by using tricks like a whip or similar to try and drag a couple of the minions out of the safe zone, and into the traps, if they didn’t have something like that to protect them. There was no way his Lord would allow that.

However, that still left his team, as it stood, in a bad situation. Now that he understood the power of Abyssal Flame, he was not eager to fight a Tier 3 demon wielding the stuff, and that slime was too big a threat to safely ignore, as well. “My final question, then. Would it be possible to forgo the battle of my team against yours, and instead fight one-on-one, Master against Master?”

Though his Lord’s face was hidden by the helm upon his head, Bargulg could feel Him smile as the words rolled over him. “Challenging me to single combat, instead of dealing with the fight as intended, hmm? May I ask why? Beyond the fact that you believe that it gives you the best chance at victory, of course.”

“To be honest, my Lord, I like my party’s chances against your two former adventurers standing there beside you. Everything I know about you suggests that your Avatar will be limited to a level that is ‘tough, but fair’ for mortals of our level. However, my own servant’s use of Abyssal Flame has taught me proper respect for its power, and to see a Tier 3 demon wielding weapons of it makes me rightly concerned. And that slime reminds me of the one that fought in the first floor’s boss battle. I remember all too well the way that ghostly slime nearly turned the tide, despite being so far beneath us in levels. With one that is obviously Tier 3, caution is warranted. As your book says, ‘Do not let Pride cloud your judgement, for that is how Domination becomes dominated in turn.’”

The Avatar nodded slowly. “Once more, you prove yourself a worthy student of my teachings, Bargulg Parod, scion of Balreren the Bronze Terror. It takes more than courage and strength of arms to walk the path of Domination. You must always have clear knowledge of yourself, and your limits, as well as those around you. Otherwise, you risk being manipulated and subjugated by those who do. Of course, one should take pride in their accomplishments, but never let that pride blind you to the reality of the situation at hand.”

The Avatar, clad in black plate armor, rose from his throne. A round shield shimmered into being strapped to his right arm. He held out his left hand, and black flames blazed into being for a moment, before fading, to reveal a spear which radiated divine might. Bargulg frowned for a moment, for all depictions of the Lord before now told of him wielding sword and shield, not a spear. In fact, he could see the sword materialize in a sheath on his belt as he stood.

“Is that the spear of Pofmis you claimed in your victory over her?”

“Yes, once, it was the Lance of Freedom. Now, it is the Spear of Domination. You will learn it well, Bargulg Parod, for I accept your challenge of single combat, in recognition of your being the first group to reach me here. From this point onward, on every difficulty save the hardest, an item will be dropped from Shai Hulud. Those who conquer the boss of the open desert will gain the right to challenge the boss of the Pyramid to single combat, rather than taking on the boss battle as originally intended.”

“More incentive for people to actually test themselves against the seemingly unkillable foe, then?”

“Exactly. A group that cannot figure out a way to defeat the sandworm does not deserve the chance to take things easy in the pyramid. Those who make it through the desert floors should be pushed to the point where they know that their successes were well and truly earned. Either that, or they must make a deal, offering something of great enough value to equal the prize they seek. Anything else is simply an insult to the hard work that so many adventurers have put in.”

The Avatar stepped forward, off the central platform, and all the squares on the ground turned white. “For this battle, there will be no traps or tricks. No dungeon laws or outside intervention. We will fight until one side or the other can no longer continue.”

Bargulg nodded, before pulling out his chainsword, and holding it in both hands. He’d gotten used to the weight of the blade by now, and adjusted his fighting style to account for it. However, he doubted that any of the bonus effects like the ability to bypass or reduce armor would apply to this fight. The Avatar of a god would have better defenses than that.

Not to mention, he thought as he descended from the shadow platform to the tiled floor, they should have some effects of their own. Probably enchantments to help him overcome different abilities. At the very least, they would prevent others from using mind control or other such magics at him, and probably defend against even his offensive spells.

The shield and armor weren’t his only concerns, however. Lord Kuronoth had called his weapon the Spear of Domination. Weapons were never named lightly, and that was doubly true for the divine weapon of a god. No doubt, the spear had some kind of power invested in it, which he would have to be careful of. If he let the spear wound him, it might even put him under some kind of Domination effect. It wasn’t likely that Lord Kuronoth would make the weapon act as a [Slave Brand], or something else with permanent effects, but there was no way that weapon was just a weapon!

No, he couldn’t start thinking like that. Yes, being cautious was important, especially in the face of the unknown. Only fools rushed in without having any idea of their enemy’s capabilities. But you couldn’t let that uncertainty paralyze you, either. That was just another way of conceding defeat before the battle was even joined.

Bargulg took a breath, steadying himself, and looked over his opponent again. Spear and shield, with the sword as a backup weapon. The spear was sized for two-handed use, but the Avatar had sacrificed some of its reach to better control the weapon in one hand. With the shield strapped to the arm, rather than held, he could switch to a two-handed style without throwing away the shield completely. It would interfere with his movements some, but it could be done. Or, he could drop the spear and draw his sword, if pressed. All were valid options.

There was nothing for it. He needed more information. Information that couldn’t be gleaned simply from observing. He couldn’t go all in with a reckless attack, but hanging back would gain him nothing.

With a roar, he charged.