Chapter 32
The guards manning the entrance to the Capital dungeon stepped aside when they saw me approach. I was a well-known friend of the kingdom at this point, and that was on top of my adventuring reputation. Letting me by was easier than making a fuss about dungeon passes.
Four silk soldiers trailed a step behind, their enormous metal breasts leading the way.
In addition to their halberds, they each carried large sacks over their shoulders.
When the guards realized their mouths hung open and that their faces had contorted into confused, shocked expressions, they shook themselves out of their stupor and took on the stoic facade befitting professional guards.
We descended the stairs into the Capital labyrinth. Following the instructions Samson had given me, I took the first right, then another right, and then knocked on the door I found at the end of the corridor.
I heard the door shut and latch behind me. When I turned around, I saw only dungeon wall. The door was gone. This was already my worst fear about how this meeting could go. Eternity was a terrifying concept. My paranoia about being locked in a box for millennia was real, and it was justified.
An old woman with a hunchback and a cane ambled out of a door behind the counter. Her matted hair dragged across the floor, and she looked as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks, shrinking her liver-spotted skin tight to her bones.
“The Grubiit Dungeon Lord has granted me an audience,” the old lady croaked without her lips ever moving. “Oh, happy days for me. Such an honor.”
I couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm or bad flattery. When I triggered Sense Weakness, she shook her head and wagged a finger like she was disappointed in me.
The old woman sat on one of the benches, not caring about the thick dust that coated her pants and forearms. I brushed some of the dust away and joined her.
“It must be hubris that brings you here,” she continued. “A fool would not have achieved what you have managed to achieve, no, not a chance.”
“Your invitation brings me here. Nothing else.”
+4 Progress to your fall.
Progress to Your Fall: 73 / 100 (Abaddon, King of the Abyss)
I dismissed the notification and tried to push it from my mind as well.
“Your manipulation of the Frozen Fiend isn’t as impressive as you think,” the old woman continued.
“He is not the wisest of our kind. No other Dungeon Lord would do anything but squash such a pest, but like you, his hubris is his folly. Your conquering of the Spirit of Death is even less impressive. I cannot name a demon who hasn’t fucked her.
I do admit, however, that I am impressed that the Gol-Gol brothers didn’t survive your encounter. How did you manage to defeat them?”
“If your opinion of the Frozen Fiend is that low, then I suppose his talk of having convinced you to do this was bullshit.”
“You were fooled by a fool. Yes, it’s true. Back to the Gol-Gol brothers. Do explain.”
“I would prefer to discuss peace.”
The old woman shook her head. “I never understood the impatience that so often befalls Dungeon Lords. Acquiring a dungeon core is the achievement of a lifetime, and they squander its potential, as if they can’t wait to have it torn from their pathetic little fingers.”
“You mistake focus for impatience,” I replied.
“What flaw did these Dungeon Lords possess that you exploited, hmm? I must know how they were defeated.” Her lips still hadn’t moved.
“I was stronger.”
The old woman guffawed with her mouth closed and slapped the table. “You are the strongest of the rats, sure, but you grow too daring. You have strayed too far and become too bold. A rat is a petty nuisance in a land of giants, no matter how strong the rat might be relative to other rats.”
“Everyone warned me this was a trap,” I said with a sigh.
“Even your harlots have more wit than you.”
“I came here because the Frozen Fiend put up a dungeon core as collateral to guarantee my safety, but he phrased it in an interesting way. He said, ‘If the Forgotten One attempts to harm you, I will bend the knee in my own dungeon and put the core in your hands.’ Curious how he worded that. He can’t bend the knee to me or put anything in my hands if I never return to his dungeon. ”
“The revelation has come too late,” the old woman replied. “I despise you for bringing the anger of Abaddon to my doorstep. The King of the Abyssal Plane has not looked in my direction in centuries. You are a reckless human, and I will celebrate your departure from the material plane.”
Her choice to say Abaddon’s name revealed a great deal about her allegiances. Samson still avoided using it, and he was in on this scheme. The Forgotten One wanted Abaddon to know she was being loyal, that she was not an enemy or a threat.
“If you let me walk out of here right now, I’ll forgive your error,” I said.
“I tire of watching the cornered rat hiss.”
She spat on me. I looked down at a glob of black goop on my shirt.
“His seed. He offers it to you as a final gift.”
Aw, come on. That was so fucking gross.
The walls of the guild hall disappeared, revealing a grand chamber. Tall figures rode on steeds made of bone and flame. They were flanked by cyclops skeletons wielding large, crudely forged swords with one hand and dragging chains with the other.
I counted ten of the riders. Ten elder liches.
A singular elder lich was the boss of the Capital labyrinth.
Some adventurers claimed to have beaten the lich with a group of 10, but most wouldn’t go near the boss room unless they had a group of 25 or more.
Ten of the liches together were a force of apocalyptic proportions.
The Forgotten One had deigned to spend a few DP on me, it seemed.
“Do not worry,” the old woman said, still not having moved from her seat. “We will keep you alive so you may endure Abaddon’s torment until the end of time.”
I shouted over my shoulder to my four silk soldiers. “When I’m gone, kill everything.”
The old woman laughed.
With Ruler’s Voice, I said, “Thank you, my treasures, for the sacrifices you make in the name of the Silk. We are stronger because of you.”
I blinked. When I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting in a plain stone room. Ashley stood in the corner, looking worried, and Invia stood behind me with a sword in her hands.
I didn’t have much time.
I turned and saw a prisoner in manacles, chained to the wall. I triggered Blood Harvest and tore his stomach open. At the same time, I smashed the potion of Legendary Heal that dangled around my neck.
I groped at my skin, looking for signs that my head was about to fall from my shoulders. It didn’t, and when the final second of Last Chance expired, I knew I was safe.
“Is it done?” Ashley asked.
I nodded. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“You saved my life with Noble Sacrifice. Getting to save yours in the same way is poetic.”
+720,000 XP.
+720,000 XP.
+720,000 XP.
+720,000 XP.
And on the notifications went.
“I take it from that grin the bombs worked,” Invia observed.
“Ten elder liches.”
Invia whistled. “He didn’t hold back on you. That’s kind of a compliment. How much XP was that worth?”
“A lot. We can talk specifics after I collect what the Frozen Fiend owes me.”
I used our boss rush teleporter to reach the Flowst dungeon as quickly as I could, appearing down the hall from the sorceress queen's throne room. I kept a hand up, ready to tap the statue to escape if necessary.
“Samson! It's time to pay your debts!”
The Frozen Fiend appeared before me in his original demon form, which I hadn't seen since he acquired Samson Oliverry’s body. Over two dozen feet tall with broad wings and cloven hooves, his very presence carried a glacial chill.
The moment reminded me of my very first meeting with the Frozen Fiend in the Lopav dungeon. Back then, I was terrified by the danger I faced, yet was certain that my gambit would pay off.
Now we met because his gambit hadn't.
“The King of the Abyss is coming for you,” the Frozen Fiend said. “Ending your own life is your only chance for mercy.”
“Give me what you promised.”
“If you insist on this, then we will forever be enemies.”
“That is already the case. Will you honor your terms?”
The demon leaned forward, looking down on me with hatred as sharp as his presence was cold. He snarled, the curl of his lip revealing bared teeth.
“I will not ask again,” I said and held out my hand.
Pinched between the Frozen Fiend’s enormous claws, the dungeon core looked like a pearl from a necklace.
He set it in my hand.
You are now the Lord of this Dungeon.
-27 Progress to your fall.
Progress to Your Fall: 46 / 100 (Abaddon, King of the Abyss)
I had to stifle giddy laughter. Byron of Zaglis could not be defeated. Every time someone or something attempted to kill me, they made me stronger instead.
“If you wish for this conflict to end here,” I began, “decide what you will offer me as tribute when I next visit. Be gone.”
With one last hateful glare, the Frozen Fiend left my dungeon.
My second dungeon.
Before I did anything else, I used the core to create a new room, one that was completely cut off and accessible only to me, and warped into it. Though I wanted nothing more than to spend the next several days reviewing every detail of my new toy, I had one more Dungeon Lord to neuter.
The Forgotten One was stronger than me by an order of magnitude I wasn't certain I could properly comprehend, but it was clear that a direct conflict with him was unwinnable. Thankfully, I didn't need to defeat him. I just needed him to leave me the fuck alone.
With the core stashed away, I returned to my room in Sanctuary.
“Abby!”
My liluti appeared before me. “Yes, Master?”
“Go to both bathhouses and deliver these instructions: For the next 24 hours, all drinks are free. Staff members are to inform all patrons that ‘the Capital Dungeon Lord saved Byron of Zaglis from a powerful enemy. Drinks are free in honor of her timeless friendship.’ That's all. Go.”