Lewd Dungeon, Book 20 Epilogue (Patreon)

Yes, there is a chapter, despite the holidays. There will be a chapter of Dark Fate this week, too. No, they won't be holiday themed.

Epilogue – Interview

The portal opened, and out stepped Flint Fernvalley and his crew. They had made it to the twelfth floor! Sure, the fight against that massive slime had been difficult, but they had fought their way through a Jubilexan slime dungeon before, and recognized the Black Pudding Lord for what it was. That type of slime were notoriously weak to magic, especially ice magics.

Thankfully, Flint’s team followed their own advice, and were prepared with multiple weapons. Frostburst Grenades were not exactly cheap, especially compared to some other weapons, but they weren’t so expensive that they couldn’t have a supply of them on hand. They usually used them for dealing with Fire elemental creatures, but they did just fine against the pudding, which soon froze solid, allowing them to shatter it.

As they stepped out of the portal, they were surprised to find themselves in the marble stands of a great arena. There were twelve statues dominating the arena, each representing a different god or goddess. As he looked on in wonder, Flint felt Samlad’s hand upon his shoulder.

“Boss, most of these are the gods that were in the Black Temple, or that rest floor. The symbols on the base of each statue are clear enough. The big one, over what has to be the VIP box, would be Kuronoth. But do you see the one across from it?”

Flint nodded. “Yes, the one in chains, and with what looks like a long strike through the symbol? What about it?”

“That’s Pofmis, a goddess of freedom. Displaying her in chains is the same as desecrating one of her temples. Whoever designed that statue was deliberately trying to cause the gravest insult to Pofmis they could.”

“Well, thank you, I’m so glad you noticed.”

Flint whirled back to the VIP box. The box had been empty just a moment before, he was sure of it! But now, a demonic being wearing all black was sitting there, legs crossed, with a glass of wine in his hand. To either side, he had a naked succubus, dressed only in the fine golden chain running between their pierced nipples and down to the piercing between their legs, attending him, one holding a platter with several glasses and a bottle of wine, and the other holding what looked like an assortment of cheeses.

“I take it you are the Dungeon Master?”

“Yes, I am Kuronoth, the one known as the Demon of the Dungeon, and lord over this domain, among other things. You have done well, Flint Fernvalley. Your party is only the second to fight your way through my halls to reach this place.”

“Second?”

“Oh, don’t worry. Though you are the second to reach this floor without being summoned directly, you are the first to make it with all your members intact, and the first to leave here alive and whole.”

“Who was the other group, the one that failed?”

The demon looked pleased. “Ah, I’m so glad you asked. I think it would be best to show you.” He snapped his fingers, and said, “Come out, Chainheart.”

From below the stone, a ghostly figure rose up. It looked to Flint like the spectral form of a Riyran, still wearing some ostentatious winged armor, and carrying a sword and shield in hand. The spectral shield was emblazoned with the symbol of the Demon glowing in bloody red light.

“Meet Chainheart.” The Demon’s voice was smug, like the yertan that just ate the venda bird. “In life, she was known as Nudara Belkis, Crusader-Champion of Pofmis, and leader of the Golden Host. Now, she is Chainheart, a Banshee raised and enslaved to me, forever bound to follow my will, whether she wishes it or not.”

“H-how did this come to be?”

The Demon smiled. “Three times have the forces of Pofmis assaulted my grounds, with the express purpose of ending my reign, or stealing from me my rightful possessions. Three times, they have claimed their actions in the name of their goddess, and their church. Three times, they have ignored any attempts to parley before unleashing their attacks.”

“Because of this, using what power is available to me, I have declared Pofmis, and all who follow her, to be Anathema to myself, and those gods also enshrined within my halls. In addition, they are all marked as Dungeon Foes, and shall be into perpetuity. Every follower of Pofmis in existence, and every one that shall come to be, shall be marked such, as both Anathema and Dungeon Foe.

“But, even after receiving that judgement, Belkis, in her arrogance and self-righteous pride, entered my dungeon, and slayed dungeon creatures within a safe zone, set there to guide adventurers and set them upon the proper path. This broke a dungeon law, weakening her host further. Here, a rational person would turn back, or at least hesitate, hoping to find a way free of their dilemma.

“But zealots of the bitch goddess are nothing if not irrational idiots, too self-important to realize that the world does not revolve around them. Splitting her Golden Host into squads of ten, all seven hundred headed into my dungeon. Of those seven hundred, only six have been allowed to leave.”

“Allowed to leave, Sir?”

“Yes, allowed. One of the Golden Host decided that she would not stand for the requirements needed to get her team through the Black Temple, and foreswore her allegiance, devoting herself to making chains instead of breaking them. She has been rewarded, as I am a generous lord to those who follow me.”

He paused for a breath, and then said, “As for the rest of the seven hundred? Well, a full third of that have surrendered themselves to my forces, or been captured, and sentenced to hard labor for a year and a day as residents of the Breeding Halls, where they shall be violated and bred repeatedly by the various creatures I have access to, in the attempt to create new foes for Adventurers to face. Those who survive their time will be released from my dungeon, and cast out from my lands.

“And the rest? They have been slaughtered to the last. Even the ones who recklessly attempted to ‘purge’ the undead floor of its residents. Their last moments were ones of agony and ecstasy, as they were raped and eaten alive.”

The Demon’s eyes focused on Flint’s, and said, “Such is the fate of all who threaten Kuronoth within his own realm. Be sure all your audience knows that. I defend what is mine, and woe to all who would try and take what is mine from me!”

Then he leaned back in his throne, sipping his wine. With a wave of his hand, the two succubi moved forward, offering drinks and refreshments. “But enough of that. Sit, and drink. You have won an interview with me, and I intend to give you all you could wish for. I promise only that everything I say shall be a truth, and I will sooner refuse to answer, rather than offering a statement which is not true.”

Flint took a breath, mastered his emotions, and said, “Very well, perhaps we should start at the beginning, then? How did you come to be a dungeon master?”

The Demon laughed, and said, “A question I’ve been asked many times. I guess for that, we should go back to the moment the System Apocalypse started. You see, my current slave had been getting rebellious, so I was in the middle of reeducating her, balls deep in her ass, when suddenly…”