Dungeon Chapter 17 (Patreon)

I got on a nice pair of jeans and a button down heading off of campus for the first time.

Haylon Academy was secluded from the rest of the city with stone walls and tall pines, but you could still walk off campus right into the urban center.

“This is going to be amazing.” Harley had on a blue dress as she held onto her priestly beauty who wore jeans and a pink cowl next shirt that matched Harley’s hair.

With their hair colors matching each other’s clothes, it kind of made me think of the two color cotton candy.

Charlotte had a green and white summer dress that she had to hold down every time the wind blew too hard. She had her braid loose and her hair falling off one of her shoulders.

“Where’s Bun-bun?” The rabbit was missing.

She puffed out her cheeks. “Is that what you want to say first?”

I coughed into my hand. “Sorry. You look lovely.”

Harley laughed at us. “Come on. We should get dinner. The patio here has a lovely view of the park.”

Holding out my arm for Charlotte, she grinned as she put her arm in it. “I had to wrestle Bun-bun back into the CID.”

I snorted, imagining the feisty rabbit putting up a fight when she tried to do that. “Thank you. You didn’t have to, though.”

Charlotte nodded and waved her CID as the rabbit popped back out and chittered angrily at her.

“Bun-bun, behave or you are going back in storage.” Charlotte was firm with her pet.

The rabbit wilted and pulled at his ears, looking absolutely adorable.

“Come on.” She held out her arms and Bun-bun jumped into them, snuggling against her chest as we caught up to the other two.

“There, that seems more normal.” It had felt odd seeing her without the rabbit.

“Oh, Bun-bun.” Harley noticed the rabbit. “Aren’t you just the cutest?” She tried to grab him out of Charlotte’s arms and the rabbit bit her. “Hey. Jerk.”

Meridith laughed. “Maybe he just doesn’t like you.”

“I’ve had your back in the dungeon, Bun-bun. I expected better from you.” Harley pouted, as Meridith consoled her.

Secretly, I wondered if she did that on purpose so that she’d get Meridith’s attention.

“So, Ken. What sort of super secret assassin training did your grandfather give you?” Harley asked.

My mind drifted off to my stealth training and then the test I was going to put it under tonight. “You know assassin things. Lots of combat training and some sneaking around.”

“Oh. Do you have a ninja costume?!” Harley’s eyes begged me to say yes.

I sighed. “Yes, I have a yoroi.”

“There’s a name for it.” Meridith looked properly impressed.

I checked and Charlotte was impressed too, and I couldn’t help but smile at that. “I even have a few tools, grappling hooks, and the like.”

“Do you bring them into the dungeon?” Charlotte asked curiously.

“No… but I probably should.” There were a few things that made their way into my duffel bag that really should get put in my CID. The space was limited, but still plenty of space for a few tools in case we encountered something that they could be used for.

“One day, you are going to be a hero to the rest of our group.” Harley nudged me with bouncing eyebrows as she noticed Charlotte’s interest. “But for now, you’ll just be Charlotte’s hero.”

“Hey. It’s not like that.” Charlotte blushed.

“Sure it isn’t.” Harley grinned. “I see the way you look at Ken’s back when he’s fighting in the dungeon. You can’t hide things from me.”

“Harley!” Charlotte glared at her. “Careful, or I won’t save you from Des in the future.”

“She’s the scary one?” Meridith tried to keep up with the conversation.

I shrugged. “She is just playing her role. Harley needs someone to keep her in check.”

“No, I don’t.” The pink-haired bard refuted.

Only for the three of us all to stop talking and stare at her.

Harley huffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh look, there’s the place. Come on. I hear they have the best food.” She grabbed Meridith’s hand and rushed forward.

“Sorry, she’s being a lot.” I squeezed Charlotte’s arm.

“It’s fine.” She was holding Bun-bun tight. “I just don’t want her making things up.”

I gave a sympathetic roll of my eyes. “Harley will always make things up. She’s so horny I’m pretty sure she thinks rocks are giving each other googly eyes.”

Charlotte laughed and bumped her shoulder against me. “We better go in, or she’s likely to scare off Meridith.”

“Yes. We better go save the priestly beauty from her.” I teased.

“But you don’t get to be Meridith’s hero.” Charlotte corrected and thankfully, I had stepped away to open the door because I couldn’t have hid the smug grin that was plastered on my face to save my life.

Charlotte, you were fooling no one.

“No, Meridith isn’t part of our group. I’m only saving you, Harley and Des.” When I opened the door for her, there was a cute pout on her face.

“You are going to be Desmonda’s hero, too?” She examined my face.

“In the dungeon.” I was quick with my words. “You are the one I’m taking on a date.”

That seemed to satisfy Charlotte as she gave a satisfied nod. “Right. You’ll tell me if Des tries to make a move on you, right?”

“Of course.” I said a little too quickly.

Charlotte was being jealous of Des, but now didn’t seem like the right time to tell her that I was meeting with Des in her room tonight.

That would completely derail our date.

Besides, nothing was happening between me and Des. She was just helping me get a secondary class.

Some ritual from her family. My mind went straight to skulls and candles and some sort of pentagram made from demon blood.

“Good.” Charlotte took my hand as she put Bun-bun down, despite the host glaring at her for bringing a rabbit in with us. “You took me on a date, so you have a responsibility.”

***

The date had gone well. Harley could really hold and maintain a conversation for the entire time.

There was no romantic interest, but damn, was she good to have on a date to keep the conversation flowing.

At least, she was fully engrossed in Meridith and left Charlotte alone on the date. She hit on girls every time her mouth opened, but she was respectful of the date.

Now, I was busy getting ready for part two of the night. The sun had set, which meant it was time to go.

Back in my room, I was putting my grappling hook in my CID inventory and putting on my yoroi. It was a dark blue with a dark gray threaded through it to break up my outline. The yoroi was tight fitting, and I put on a mask to hide as much of me as I could.

Not that it would matter when someone marked me as a guy. There was unfortunately only one of those on campus.

Headmistress Marlow would kick me out in a second if I got caught, so I had better not get caught.

Double checking every thing I patted myself down, It was a lot lighter with some of my tools in the CID.

I opened the door and Crimson was there, her hand raised as if about to knock.

“Uh… hi.” I said.

Crimson raised an eyebrow at me. “Going somewhere?”

“Maybe?” It came out as a question as I panicked.

“Going to go sneak into some girl’s room?” Crimson asked with a growing smirk on her face.

I nodded. “Yes. But it isn’t what you think.”

“Sure.” Though her expression said she didn’t believe me. “She knows you are coming?”

“Yes.” I got a little worked up at that question. “I am not some pervert sneaking into a girl’s room without her knowledge.”

Crimson shrugged, and her leather suit creaked. “Just checking. In that case, have fun, don’t get caught. I wanted to tell you that the UG sent me in to check things. The dungeon will open up for us after tomorrow. Long story, but we have the fix in place.”

I let out a breath. “That’s great. Now if you don’t mind. I’m going to go… uh… sneak across campus.”

“Have fun.” Crimson didn’t stop smirking the whole time as I closed my door and slipped out of the visitors’ center.

I had to check over my shoulder several times just to make sure the woman wasn’t following me.

Then again, if she was, how would I ever know?

Beads of sweat ran down my back at the thought.

There was nothing I could do.

So, I raced across campus, slipping into bushes anytime someone came close.

Students were starting to stumble home from going out into the town and were easy to evade.

My grandfather had stressed the importance of learning to be sneaky, even with skills available. They only helped someone sneak, magically pushed someone’s attention away.

So coupled with learning the art of stealth, the skills were much more effective. I had learned the art of stealth since a young age.

Sneaking to Desmonda’s dorm, I picked up a few pebbles from the landscaping along the way and held them in my hand. You never knew when you needed a distraction.

The place was well lit, but that didn’t matter.

The front door had a girl behind a desk looking bored.

A difficult thing to bypass, so instead, I went around the side of the building and waited behind a side exit door.

When a student came out, I caught the door and slip in behind her without her noticing.

That put me in a hallway, with doors on both sides and an open area at the end. I could see students coming down from a set of stairs there.

This hallway was the most dangerous part. I started sprinting down, keeping myself alert.

It was a good thing because a door handle turned and I spun behind it, flattening myself against the wall as the door opened.

“I know. He’s kind of cute. Think he’s single?” An unfamiliar voice asked.

“He’s the only guy on campus. If he’s single today, chances are he won’t be tomorrow. Go ask him out if you want. Otherwise, I bet his dungeon party is going to lock him down tight.” Another voice spoke, moving away from me down the hall.

“I heard some girls were going to write him letters and drop them off at the visitors’ center.” The first said, their voices getting faint. As the door swung closed.

“No way. Crimson is there, the woman is— “The voice faded from my hearing as they rounded the corner.

Alone in the hallway, I hurried with my heart beating fast and staying to the left side as I approached the open area.

It was a lobby behind the front desk, and the girls were sitting around on couches talking. The stairs were right next to the hallway, but there were too many of them.

Too many eyes to avoid at once.

I rolled the pebbled in my hand and said a small prayer. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I owe you one.”

The girl I fought earlier from my class was there and just because I knew her, she became a target.

I snapped a pebbled from my hand, launching it across the room and hitting Taylor squarely in the forehead.

“Ouch!” she cried out and clutched for her forehead.

Or I assumed that’s what she was doing.

I bolted for the stairway. There was a moment when someone shouted like that where everyone’s attention would shift to her before they looked around for the culprit.

At that time I made it to the stairs and flew up them as fast as I could.

There was some commotion below me in the lobby, but no one came chasing after me.

I let out a sigh of relief and made my way up the stairwell until a door opened on the second floor and I jumped off the banister, grabbing it and hanging in that space between the flights of stairs.

Moments passed, and I heard steps going upwards.

Lifting myself back up, it peered, and the door was closed.

Hurrying, I darted up past the second floor to the third, pausing at the door, pressing my ear against it to listen in.

Only for it to open up, and the person caught me as I jumped back.

Harley stood before me in her pajamas. She was shocked for a second, before she paused and gave me a big grin. “Ken? Charlotte is on the second floor, you goober.”

“I’m going to Des’s room.” I stated simply.

She stared at me for a moment, closing the door behind her and leaning against it.

Harley’s grin grew wider by the second. “You are going to Des’s room? You little liar. ‘No harem for me,” she mimed me. “Liar.”

“I’m not going to Des’s room for anything like that.” I promised.

She still had that smug grin on her face. “Sure.” She didn’t believe me either. “I’m guessing that if you were caught in here, you’d be expelled?”

“Yes. Now, will you let me go?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” She twirled her hair like a schemer coming up with a plan.

There was no time for this.

“Harley, I can sneak up here with no one knowing. I can find your room and murder you in your sleep. Which room is Desmonda’s?” I wasn’t joking around.

She held her hands up in defeat. “Damn, Ken. I was just having fun. Third door on the left, but Victoria is in the hallway doing some stupid video.”

“Video?” I swallowed.

“I’ll help you if you admit that you are trying to start you harem with Dessy and Char.” She smirked.

“Fine. I’m starting my harem.” The longer I waited here, the greater the risk someone would come along. Even if I wasn’t, I needed to get Harley moving.

She grinned wide enough that I knew she would never let this go. “Next time, tell me. I’ll open my window for you to sneak up with your grapple, and I’m just across the hall from Des.”

I grumbled that there hopefully wouldn’t be a next time under my breath, but it was lost on her as she ducked back through the door. “Hey Victoria, did you see Maggy is doing the same type of videos?”

“What?” I heard a girl squawk as Harley stepped to the side.

I darted into the hallway, seeing a girl completely engrossed in checking something on her phone before hitting Des’s door.

It was locked.

My skin prickled, and I fumbled for my lock picks as the door opened.

Des looked at me for a second through the crack before stepping aside and opening the door for me to slip in.

“Harley, what are you talking about?” I heard the girl in the hallway shout.

“I could have sworn I just saw one.” Harley lied for me.

Blowing out a breath, I pressed myself up against Desmonda’s door only to see what she had ready for me.

Her bed had chains off each bedpost, and her sheets had a pentagram drawn in red flower petals with the room lit only by candles, giving it a certain ambiance.

“Uh. Des. What’s happening?”

That’s when I realized the woman herself was wearing a purple nightgown that was tight enough, with enough sheer material. I think it was some sort of lingerie rather than sleep wear.