My Dungeon Life: Rise of the Slave Harem

Unlike the room that the zombie queen had chosen as her own, this one had a much darker feel to it, making it a bit more difficult to see. I was relieved when I determined that it wasn’t filled with zombies. Another hoarder versus horde battle would have been annoying. I let the zombies flood in first, and then I entered the room. The zombie queen was shaking, holding the back of my shirt nervously.

The doors behind us snapped shut, and silence prevailed as the zombies spread out across the room. My eyes darted around the room, looking for the king. The room itself didn’t have the appearance of a banquet. It didn’t have the appearance of life at all. Lines of coffins filled the walls. I was a bit worried zombies might pop out of those at an inopportune time. This place had the feel of a tomb. It was old, rotting, with a feeling of darkness.

The mana seemed to be resonating at the end of the room, behind a throne. That was when I finally noticed him and I nearly jumped. The boss had been exactly where one would expect, sitting on a throne at the end of the room. Yet, he had remained so motionless that I had barely noticed him.

He was a short man with a crown on his head. His hair was red, with a massive beard spilling down his chest. He was wearing armor, and in his hand was a large sword, although night as big as Alysia. His eyes were closed, and the remarkable part of him was that he didn’t show any signs of being undead. He looked to be a young man. If he shaved the beard, he might have been in his twenties. His skin wasn’t pale, and other than a sheen of dust over him giving him a grey look, he looked perfectly healthy.

“Master…” Alysia cautioned.

His eyes snapped open and his mouth moved slowly, speaking in an ancient-sounding voice. “Adventurer… why have you disturbed my sanctuary.”

“I’m looking for people that matter to me,” I responded. “I need to make use of that mana your holding.”

“Mana? Heh… so you’re just another parasite.” He sighed. “And I allowed you in hoping that you might be the one.”

“The one?”

“The one who can end the Deep Dwarves curse. To free us from the darkness. I’ve only been able to hold it back for… how long has it been? I can no longer count. My dungeon has died keeping it at bay, and I’ve given everything I have. Soon, I will be destroyed, and there will be nothing keeping it from the surface. Tell me, boy, do the surface dwellers know? My people, are they safe?”

“Know wha-” I stopped myself just as I said that. “Your people made it to the surface safely.”

“So, you rejected them… and sealed your fate.”

“How did you-”

“Read the lore of your soul? It isn’t hard. Some things are on the surface, clear as day.” He shrugged, his voice holding no emotion. “Your soul is interesting though. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Regrettably, you would fail. The darkness inside you would consume you. Reading your story may provide me some interest though.”

“I’m happy to tell you my tale” I responded. “And perhaps I could help you.”

The more I talked to him, the uneasier I got. There was something I didn’t know, a piece to the puzzle I hadn’t learned. I had hoped that bringing his daughter back to him would do something, and yet he hadn’t glanced at her once.

“Help me?” He let out a dry laugh. “Yes, you will help me. You will die, and your power will help sustain me for a few more years. Perhaps another adventurer will come pure of heart. You do not qualify.”

“Don’t qualify? How do you know that?”

“I can feel your thirst for power. You came to the Deep like all the others, looking for the lost wealth of people. I can feel it coming off of you.”

“I already said I was here to save my friends…”

“Perhaps that is true, but so is the first statement. You came down here to steal from the Deep Dwarves, just as you came to gain power.”

“I came at the behest of the Deep Dwarves, I brought you your daughter, she…”

“She’s not my daughter!” This is the first time anger flashed on his face. “She’s but an abomination! A shadow created to mock me.”

The girl hid behind me even more, whimpering.

“It’s good you brought her to me though. I couldn’t bring myself to kill her without knowing my daughter’s true fate. Once the dungeon collapsed, I no longer could easily reach her. Since I now know my daughter must have died fleeing to the surface, I can finally destroy this abomination and use her energy to continue my battle. It’s time to die!”