Dungeon Annihilation 2 - 12

Regan

With a flash, I appeared in Pandora’s Box, my penal colony. I needed a break from the corruption device. I felt like I was missing an element that would make it work properly. For now, I settled with absorbing the corruption at a dramatically reduced rate until I figured it out.

The colony had grown recently with new people coming to the dungeon for the tournament. With the help of my new magic collars, I planned to release a few of them as agents. The biggest question was who to release. Time for some interviews.

Looking around, I found most of the people that were out on the streets were just laying there or walking along with no real destination. A few of the people that spotted my shadowed avatar made terrified faces and either fell over or started to run away.

I cleared my throat then with some magic amplification, “People of Pandora’s Box! Assemble at the platform or die!”

Even in this state, most of the people didn’t want to die. They began to make their way to the platform. When everyone had assembled. I noticed that some had stayed home. Focusing on them, I saw they were the women that they made a fuss over last time. I decided to ignore it for now.

“Good! I have good news! I will be releasing some of you today.”

A murmur went up among the gathering. Being they were in the dungeon, I could hear every word they said even when it was just whispered to the person directly next to them. Most obviously didn’t trust me. Why would a monster release people? Wouldn’t they just inform the church? And so on.

Not surprisely, it was Joseph, the man that had argued for giving the women more food that stepped forward among the gathered people. “Why, Lord Host?”

“Are you not happy to be released?” I asked.

“Of course! But we know that you do not do anything without reason. No. It would be foolish of us to think otherwise.”

“You really are intelligent.” I noticed that he had reached tier two during his time in the colony. “And talented. Very well. I shall make you one of the first. As an added bonus, I will allow your lover to accompany you.” Everyone gasped in shook. The host that had held them prisoner for over a month was going to let him go just like that, was what I’m sure they were thinking.

“You are very kind, Lord Host. But there are others that have families outside the dungeon. I have no one but Cara. Release someone else first!” This guy was going to play the hero role until the end. I just couldn’t believe there could be someone so selfless.

I shot a tendril forward and wrapped it around his neck as I pulled him closer. “I could kill you all in a matter of seconds,” I waved a tendril and a hundred Hunters appeared around the group eliciting screams and panic, “but I do have my reasons for doing things. I placed a tendril against his mouth before pushing it inside him. More screams rang out among the mortals, but I ignored them.

I maneuvered my tendril through his body until I reached his heart. I placed a simplified version of the magic collar around the organ. I didn’t care about controlling his thoughts or emotions. I just wanted to monitor him as well as make sure he couldn’t speak about the dungeon unless I said otherwise. If he tried, the ring would constrict. He might get three or four sentences out before his heart was sliced in half.

I dropped him to the ground after pulling my tendril of shadow back out. “What? What did you do to me?!” Joseph demanded patting his chest.

“A little insurance that those that leave here will not speak about this place. All you will be allowed to say is that it was a place where you were safe but cursed. Try to write about it and the same thing will happen.”

Joseph stared at the ground as his hand rested on his chest. It was equivalent to having a bomb strapped to your chest so I could understand his horror. Another feature of the Heart ring was that I was siphoning off a partial amount of his mana. So even if they leave, I still gain some mana from them. Not sure of the range, but all things needed to be tested.

I extended my arms which soon began splitting rapidly. Soon there were almost a hundred tendrils that reached out among the crowd and snatched them up. Screaming and yelling were paramount as people tried to flee. The Hunters blocked their path though and they resorted throwing people in the path of the tendrils to save themselves.

Once I had captured half the group, the Hunters started allowing people to flee. Once the Heart Ring was placed, I teleported them to the first ring. The guards gapped as nearly a hundred people streamed out of the dungeon all at once. Of course, since they were all declared dead to the dungeon they were quickly detained.

“Joseph. I have a special task for you.”

He looked at me in horror. “What?”

I tossed a bag that contained fifty platinum coins at his feet. “Start an adventurer company. Hire as many adventurers as you can from outside areas and start diving my dungeon. Buy slaves, as many as possible and give them to me.” I pointed at the town in front of me. “If your morals are in the way, I’ll relieve you by saying they will not suffer a fate any different from yours. They will live in this town. Use that charisma for me. Finally, take the note to the adventurer guildmaster or the countess.”

Joseph just stared at the bag before looking up at me. “Why? You’re already so powerful.”

“Powerful?” I echoed. “Not when you consider the entire planet. There are plenty of hidden masters. Just look at this town’s guildmasters. If they worked together, they could probably defeat me. This is just some town that basically appeared a few months ago. What about your cities or capitals? How many people live in those places that would flex their arm and turn me to dust?”

“I… I see.”

“Do this and you will want for nothing for as long as I live,” I said bursting my shadow form into motes of darkness. “Your female has already been given the ring and sent out. When you are ready to leave step on the platform.”

“What about my child!?” Joseph yelled jumping to his feet.

“Don’t worry. I’m not that much of a monster. He will be born free.”

I watched but didn’t have to wait too long. Joseph scooped up the money before he strode onto the platform. He would either prove a value asset or a dangerous enemy down the road, but now that I had a second core, I could afford to be a bit bolder in my movements.

While I was debating what to do, a familiar voice called to me. “Host!” I turned my attention to Countess Louella calling from the Gothic City. I grinned wondering what could have brought her to my dungeon. Oh wait, I had just released a ton of people from the dungeon. I chuckled to myself as I formed my avatar in front of her.

“You called?” I asked.

“I was hoping you might give me an explanation. Otherwise there might be a crusade by the church.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

She crossed her arms. “Don’t play dumb. You’ve been holding people in your dungeon?!”

“Yes,” I replied flatly. “They failed a challenge and were held for a time. Would you have me kill them instead? Do you hate your own kind that much?”

“No! Wait! Don’t turn this against me. Are there more people locked away in here?”

I gave her a shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. If there are and it will cause you problems, I am willing to take care of them for you,” I added turning my fingers into sharp blades and flexing them.

Countess Louella ground her teeth but shook her head. “As long as I know that there people inside and they are not being tortured, I will do my best to keep the church from intervening.”

My glowing crack like mouth formed a grin. She knew what it meant for me to have people like this. That they were hostages. If they did anything stupid, I would kill them all instantly. Not sure if the church would care about a bunch of adventurers but until it becomes a bigger problem, they were likely to leave me alone for a time.

“Then I shall tell you that there are indeed a few more locked away.” I spread my arms wide in the arm raising my voice. “Maybe someone thought dead might come back to life. Won’t that bring hope to the people?!” I made a flourish. “Wouldn’t that be grand?”

“… Yes. It would. I will leave you for now.” She turned and moved back to the teleport platform.

“Oh, and dear Countess. Please make tomorrow entertaining. I plan to watch closely.” She narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything as her and her bodyguard left. Ah! That was fun. She was a decent stress relief. A few minutes passed before I called Set and Raven to my side. “Let’s go have some fun.”

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