NOVEL NEXT Chapter Two
The ashen plains of Voraith were vast and expansive, covering the majority of the outer realm between the heart of the demon lands and the ominous barrier of the Glass Wall. With very little rain, the region was dry most of the year, and the few copses of trees that sprouted from the landscape were spindly, twisted things that reached toward the wine red sky like skeletal hands.
The rolling hills and open expanses of the plains were covered by oceans of dull grey seed grasses that swayed in the tepid winds and rattled like teeth in a skull. Flocks of dark crows flew around the area, and the occasional vulture could be seen circling in the sky as they searched for their next meal of carrion.
The only road through the plains was a dusty, winding thing that cut into the land like an old wound, pocked with deep wheel ruts and loose stones. It was ragged and left to crumble and seed this far from the city and in a region no one traveled without good cause. Luckily the poor state of the road was of no hindrance to either the large beast loping along it or the ornate carriage it was pulling.
Agya leaned back into the plush cushion of the carriage Lord Z’rada had gifted her, and she let out a content sigh. After accepting her new mission, Z’rada had gifted the petite imp not only a hefty amount of gold to use as she saw fit, but the title of Duchess. Which meant she now held rank and power in Voraith greater than any imp had ever had.
The title also came with the right to claim holdings in Voraith, which Z’rada had also worked into their plans. She was to claim a very important area in the ashen plains as her holdings, and she was free to build her manor there and do as she wished with the surrounding lands. If all went according to plan, her lands would become the staging ground for the eventual invasion of Briterra.
Already Agya had commissioned a troop of drudge demons to buid the manor house, and they would be following a few days behind her carriage with all of the supplies they needed to being the construction.
The area Z’rada had granted her was nothing less than the site of last great battle between Briterra and Voraith before the Glass Wall had been raised. It was known as the Necropolis of Lost Souls in the demon realm, and was one of only a handful of location that actually straddled both sides of the Wall.
This was important, because it meant the expansive catacombs beneath the necropolis crossed under the barrier and served as one of the hidden tunnels into the mortal realm. Agya could establish her claim on the land and begin the construction of her holdings, then cross into Briterra and begin the process of building her dungeon and luring adventurers to delve it.
Smiling her wry, playful smile Agya gazed at the glimmering gemstone that was her dungeon heart, and she imagined all of the pain and suffering she would visit upon the mortals who entered her dungeon. It was utterly beautiful, it’s many facets reflecting light as a thousand tiny stars she could hold in the palm of her hand. It was thrilling to know how much power this small trinket held, and it was all hers to control.
It had only taken Agya a little while with the captured fairy girl to figure out exactly how the heart functioned and what abilities it granted. Just an hour with a tunnel grub squirming through her bowels and the fairy had sobbingly revealed all the hidden secrets of fey magic to Agya.
Remembering the way the girl had wailed and screamed as the grub had crawled up her ass toward her intestines made Agya squirm in her seat, and the imp slipped a hand between her thighs to rub unconsciously at herself.
She had asked Z’rada to give her the captured fairy as a slave, but the dark lord apparently had other plans for the girl. It was a pity. Agya would have loved to play with her more, and she was sure the little fairy would have been much happier as Agya’s bed warmer than with whatever fate Z’rada had planned for her.
No matter. She would soon have access to the mortal realm and all the delicious slaves she could ever want. Agya couldn’t suppress the giggle that bubbled up from her at the thought of all the fun she was going to have.
Focusing on the facets of the dungeon heart brought up the translucent red projection that served as the magical interface for the stone’s power. Most of it was shrouded from her sight until she had laid down the foundation of her dungeon, but there were a couple of options she could toy around with.
Dungeon Status
- Inactive -
Dungeon Affinities
- No Affinity Selected -
Please Select One Affinity
Earth Fire
Water Air
Dark Holy
Metal Slime
Decay Life
Dungeon Augmentations
- No Augmentations Available -
Dungeon Perks
- No Perks Selected -
Please Select Up to Three Perks
The dungeon would remain inactive until she chose where to place her anchor chamber, the literal foundation of the dungeon. She had examined the option several times and knew that when the time came, activating the dungeon heart would erect a circular room that would act as the center of the dungeon from which she could access all of it’s power. However, before she could place the anchor chamber she had to choose an affinity.
According to the fairy, all dungeons had an affinity to one of the primal elements that made up the world. The choice of affinity was an important one, as it would influence what creatures and traps she would have available to populate the dungeon. As the dungeon grew stronger, the options available though the affinity would increase.
Agya had been giving the options a great deal of consideration during her journey, and although Dark and Decay were both rather attractive options, she found her attention always drifting toward Fire. Fantasies of melting flesh and sizzling brands danced through her twisted mind, and she salivated at the thought of spit roasting mortals over an open flame.
The second option, dungeon augmentations, would remain closed to her until she was able to obtain an item of exceptionally rare quality. Such artifacts were few and difficult to acquire, but they could grant a dungeon unique enhancements. Access to rare monsters, ancient magics or valuable treasures. The results depended on the augment and it’s quality, but Agya was eager to experiment.
The finale options were her dungeon perks. Special permanent effects she could add to the dungeon to obtain a wide variety of special effects. Everything from enhancing the amount of mana the heart generated, to expanding the dungeon’s effective territory, to making the monsters and traps within more deadly. From what the fairy had said there seemed to be thousands of options to customize and specialize the dungeon.
She had managed to learn from the fairy that she would have three perks to choose from upon establishing her anchor room, and would be able to choose more as the dungeon grew in power. Unlike augmentations, which were dependent on artifacts and could be swapped out, a perk was ingrained into the dungeon heart once chosen and could never be changed or removed.
Agya had given her perk choices a great deal of thought, reviewing all of the options carefully. Though some of the perks seemed to be dependent on affinity choice or on the selection of other perks first, she believed she had worked out a plan to optimize the foundation of her dungeon.
A bump in the road alerted Agya that the carriage had veered off the main path, and she pulled aside the heavy curtain that covered the window to gaze out at the surrounding land. She had reached her destination, and she watched in fascination as the carriage rumbled off the road and into the ruins of the Necropolis.
The dry plans of grass gave way to broken cobblestone and crumbling buildings carved of basalt and marble. Statues of forgotten saints and damned angels loomed up from the broken crypts and headstones of the ancient graves to leer at the passing carriage with cold, blank eyes, and flocks of crows took flight from cemeteries enclosed by black iron fences.
The air here was damp and smelled of mildew and decay, and Agya drank it in. As unpleasant as it was, this land now belonged to her, and she would shape it into her citadel of power with a dungeon at the heart.
Seeing the yawning entrance to the catacombs rising ahead, Agya spoke to the beast that pulled her carriage, “Don’t stop Letch. Take me inside. As close to the barrier line as you can reach.”
“As you wish Mistriss,” Letch responded. The abyssal beast was bound to her will, another gift from Z’rada. Larger than a mortal horse, the creature was a terrifying amalgamation of wolf and bat, with powerful hind legs, and leathery membranes stretched beneath it’s forelegs and body that would allow for limited flight.
The carriage bumped as it entered the crumbling corridors of the ancient catacomb. The vehicle rumbled along, bringing Agya closer to the dreaded Glass Wall barrier, and already she could feel the strain on her spirit. The repulsing urge to turn and flee from the barrier as it drained away at her life energy. Any lesser demon would succumb, but Agya had been gifted the tools she needed to resist.
A ruby ring on her left hand pulsed, sending pleasurable waves of energy into her small body. The ring’s power acted in perfect counter to the draining power of the Glass Wall, but alone it wasn’t strong enough to allow her to approach as closely as she needed to. For that, she had a very special tool, the final gift given to her by that damnable lord of treachery.
When Agya felt the carriage begin to slow, she knew they must be very close to the spot where the barrier intersected the catacomb. She called for a stop and stepped out of the carriage, walking up to stand beside Letch.
The beast was panting hard, and sweat matted his dark fur along his corded muscles. Agya took a moment to appreciate the size and power of the creature, and she reached up to run a hand along his strong flank, “Well done Letch. I’ll continue on alone. Return to the surface and oversee the drudges when they arrive.”
Letch looked down at his small mistress, “Are you certain?” he rumbled.
Agya smiled, petting his fur, “I’ll be fine. There is nothing down here that I can’t handle.”
Letch hesitated for a moment more before turning to retrace his path out of the catacomb, taking the carriage with him.
Standing along in the dark passage of the ancient catacomb, Agya gazed around at the crumbling stone. The once intricate carvings and murals that had lined the walls were faded and broken, lost to time and neglect. But Agya could still see how splendid and beautiful this place had once been.
Fluttering her wings, Agya lifted into the air and flew ahead into the darkness. Her amber eyes had little trouble seeing in the darkness, and she nimbly maneuvered past fallen stones and around hanging cobwebs. In flight she was as nimble and swift as a hummingbird, and she covered ground quickly.
As the thrumming power of the barrier grew stronger, Agya’s ring began to fail and she felt the urge to turn and flee rising in her breast. The time had come to use her final gift, and she landed in order to remove the slender glass vial from the pouch on her belt.
Contained within the delicate glass was the pure ruby blood of the same fairy that had provided Agya with her dungeon heart. The little imp swirled the contents in her hand, marveling at the silken quality of the fey life blood. It was a brilliant red, and even now, days after being extracted from the fairy, it had lost none of it’s vibrant color.
Agya pulled the stopper from the vial and inhaled the sweet, honey-like scent of the fairy blood. It sent a shiver through her, and caused her skin to prickle in anticipation. With one swift movement, Agya up ended the vial over her mouth and drank in the contents, feeling the smooth texture of the blood flow across her tongue and down her throat.
Moaning in pleasure, Agya felt warmth radiate outward from her stomach to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Pure, radiant fey magic hummed through her body, and the repulsing power of the Glass Wall lessened. What had felt like a great pressure on her soul lifted almost entirely, and Agya no longer felt the compulsion to run away.
Energized by the stolen fey life energy, the little imp lifted back into the air and darted off like an arrow. She spun and twisted in the air, reveling in the thrill of power and the anticipation of the conquest to come. She felt there was nothing that could stop her now. She only needed to reach the Glass Wall and lay the foundations of her dungeon, and no one would be able to stand in her way.
With dreams of power and war buzzing in her mind, Agya was taken by surprise when she rounded a bend in the catacombs and nearly flew straight into the very barrier she had been searching for.
A wide chamber opened before her, round and filled with the stone coffins of the long dead. The ornate pillars and ancient mosaics decorating the room spoke of nobility, and Agya had to assume those buried her had once been important in their own right. Now they were nothing but dust and bone. A reminder that all things came to their end, eventually.
Agya sneered, silently vowing that she would never fade away as this trash had.
The chamber itself was cut in two by the shimmering barrier of the Glass Wall. The magical construction reached from one side of the room to the other, and stretched from floor to ceiling creating a completely impenetrable barrier.
Agya had seen the Glass Wall only once before in her youth, and from a great distance. Back then, it had looked like a marvelous constriction of prismatic glass as thick as a mountain and rising far into the heavens. It had seemed so imposing, so impenetrable that young Agya had simply accepted that demon-kind would never be able to penetrate it.
Down here, in the depths of the catacombs, the Glass Wall was contained within this one room. It’s clear surface looked less like enchanted glass, and more resembled a thin sheet of mica one might chip from a stone. It look frail, flimsy and weak.
Agya smiled. This would be where she placed her anchor chamber and lay the foundation of her dungeon.
Pulling out the dungeon heart, Agya focused once again on the facets of the stone and brought up the interface that would allow her access to the heart’s power.
Dungeon Status
- Inactive -
Dungeon Affinities
- No Affinity Selected -
Please Select One Affinity
Earth Fire
Water Air
Dark Holy
Metal Slime
Decay Life
Dungeon Augmentations
- No Augmentations Available -
Dungeon Perks
- No Perks Selected -
Please Select Up to Three Perks
This time Agya selected the Dungeon Status option, and with a shuddering breath she switched it to Active.
Immediately the interface screen was replaced by a large translucent outline of a circle. It stretched across the chamber floor, and Agya fund she could move it’s location with a flick of her eyes and a thought. A single, smaller interface had appeared at the top of her vision now that simple read: Select Anchor Chamber Location.
Giddy with anticipation, Agya centered the circle in the catacomb chamber, making sure it bisected the Glass Wall perfectly. Half the anchor chamber would be in Briterra, and half would remain in Voraith if she did this correctly. When she was satisfied she had the outline just where she wanted it, Agya confirmed the placement with a thought.
The little imp was not prepared for what happened next.
The dungeon heart in her grasp began to glow with white fire that engulfed her hands. The searing pain made her scream and drop the necklace, but the stone didn’t fall. Instead it moved with a will of it’s own, slipping the blazing chain around her neck and settling the heart between her breasts.
Agya shrieked in pain as the burning artifact burned into her flesh, and all she could focus on was how she hoping that deceitful little fairy was being cored like an apple by some giant demon’s cock.
The pain wracking her body was so intense that Agya dropped to her knees on the stone floor and pissed herself. Her muscles spasmed and twitched, and it felt like the skin around the dungeon heart were melting from her bones. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she was sure she would lose her mind to the agony.
Then, it was over.
The pain stopped, and the sudden absence of white hot agony was as much of a shock to her mind as the pain had been. Agya panted for breath, but couldn’t feel the air entering her lungs. It took her several seconds to realize she couldn’t feel anything at all.
When she finally managed to focus again, she found herself staring a black void all around her. Moving proved impossible, because she no longer had a body, and her mind recoiled at the realization.
The only thing that kept Agya from losing her grip on sanity, was the presence of the translucent red interface that appeared to dominate her perception, blocking out the infinite nothingness of the void.
It looked similar to the interface the dungeon heart had always shown her, but instead of static, grayed out options, it now showed all the options as active, and she could select them as easily as thinking about it.
Dungeon Affinities
- No Affinity Selected -
Please Select One Affinity
Earth Fire
Water Air
Dark Holy
Metal Slime
Decay Life
Agya stared for a moment at the interface and realized this was the moment she had been anticipating. This was when she got to choose the form and function of her dungeon. The affinity that would determine all of the powers, monsters and spells that would be available to her going forward.
Still recovering from the traumatic experience of activating the dungeon heart, Agya almost forgot the plan she had concocted during her trip across Voraith. She had spent countless hours studying the affinities, as well as the multitude of perks she would have to choose from, and she had found a combination she believed would set her on a unique path to power, albeit at the expense of some early benefits.
To begin with, she chose fire as the dungeon affinity, and watched as the interface flashed brightly before bringing up the next option.
Dungeon Augmentations
- No Augmentations Available -
Agya wasn’t sure what form a dungeon augmentation might take. From what she had been able to pry from the fairy, they could be almost anything from magical artifacts to mundane items. Agya was empted to just throw something in to see what would happen, but she didn’t want to risk spoiling her plan, and she would have plenty of time to experiment later.
Agya moved past the augmentation option to the final selection, where the true finesse of her plan came into play.
Dungeon Perks
- No Perks Selected -
Please Select Up to Three Perks
There were thousands of perk options available, with benefits ranging from the truly helpful to the ridiculously mundane. Agya had spent most of the journey to the catacombs pouring over the list and deciding just what options she would choose. Now that the time had come, she hesitated.
True she had a plan, but since perks were permanent and couldn’t be changed later, she found herself second guessing what had felt like solid choices. With so many options open to her now, she was momentarily concerned about missing out on something that might prove useful in the days to come.
There were perks that could increase the dungeon’s core power, granting her the ability to summon more and higher level creatures. There were perks that allowed her to hide her anchor chamber with illusions, making it harder for invaders to find it. There were even perks that could grant her additional vitality or mana to increase her personal power.
They were all tempting options, but Agya had set out a plan, and she intended to follow it. Without thinking about it any further, she selected the perk Add Additional Affinity twice, using up two of her initial three perk slots.
She was immediately given the ability to select two new affinities to add to her dungeon, and she chose Metal first, then Life.
The interface flashed again, and this time it changed color from a translucent red, to a deep purple. When the glow faded, Agya was presented with a slew of new messages.
Metal Affinity Acquired!
Congratulations! Your Fire and Metal Affinity Have Combined!
You Have Unlocked the Forge Affinity!
Life Affinity Acquired!
Congratulations! Your Forge and Life Affinity Have Combined!
You Have Unlocked the Soul Forge Affinity!
Congratulations! Rare Affinity Achieved!
You Have Been Granted +10 Core Power!
Agya felt a deep sense of satisfaction as she read through the notifications. Not only had her plan succeed far better than she had anticipated, but it had gained her a Core Power boost before she had even gotten started.
She had known certain affinities could be combined, the fairy had explained as much along with some of the most common combinations. The forge affinity had sounded like a great first choice, since it would allow Agya access to constructs alongside the basic monsters available to the fire and metal affinities, as well as opening up more complex trap designs.
The life affinity was known for it’s healing and protection abilities, but Agya hadn’t expected it to combine with the forge affinity. She had just wanted access to it’s powers to augment her monsters and make them harder to kill. This was beyond what she had hoped for, and the little imp was eager to see what a soul forge affinity would grant her.
With one perk slot still open, Agya selected Territory Expansion. This would increase the dungeon’s influence and allow her to build up toward the surface of both Briterra and Voraith. Her ultimate goal was to turn her dungeon into a gateway through the Glass Wall, and the faster she could accomplish her goal the better.
With all of selections made, Agya closed the interface to finalize the founding of her dungeon.
A heartbeat passed. Then another, and Agya began to worry something had gone wrong when a new message appeared.
Current Host Inadequate. Evolving.
A new kind of pain wracked Agya’s being.
She felt her like her mind were being torn apart and reassembled as new knowledge began to flood in. At the same time, her body returned from whatever limbo state it had been placed in, and she felt her muscle tear and her skin shred.
Looking down at herself, she could see her flesh peeling back from her bones, exposing glistening sinew, fat and muscle. Her blood spilled out in great gushes, floating around her as if there were no gravity. Her bones cracked and broken as they were moved and reformed into new shapes, and though she tried to scream, her vocal chords were no longer attached.
The entire process felt like it took an eternity. Agya suffered several lifetimes of unending agony before her body seemed to pull itself back together. Her bones set, and new tissue grew rapidly across them as her flesh melding back together. Warmth returned as new blood filled reconstructed veins, and Agya dropped to her hands and knees on the cold stone flood, desperately clinging to sanity as the pain finally faded away.
Looking down at her new body, Agya realized the message hadn’t lied. She had, indeed, evolved. Her once ashen skin was now a smooth, flawless obsidian, and her silver-white hair hung nearly to her waist. Her once thin, spade-tipped tail had been replaced by a slender scorpion stinger, and her wings had grown talons at the tips and joints.
Belatedly, Agya realized her clothes had been shredded, and she stood nude now in the depths of the catacombs. When she stood, she could feel she had gained at least a foot in height, and her curves were more pronounced, though not the voluptuous jello of a succubus. Her body was the taunt, lean body of a predator.
With a feral grin spreading across her lips, letting her feel the small fangs that now occupied her mouth, Agya examined herself through the dungeon interface, curious about what it had done to her.
Agya was astounded at what she saw. This wasn’t the simple readout of a demon’s essence mark. This was a full soul sheet. The kind that only mortals were supposed to have. Not only that, but she had an experience pool and skills! She had a level! That meant for the first time, possibly ever, there was a demon capable of gaining levels!
Normally a demon could only grow in power by consuming the essence marks of other demons. Which meant killing them first. The whole process was brutal, violent and extremely difficult. One would have to kill and consume the essence mark of a demon sufficiently stronger then oneself to gain any significant amount of power, which resulted in a lot of grinding, and a whole lot of failed attempts.
It was also a system that heavily favored those who already had strong essence marks, since the weak had little chance of killing them. Lowly imps like Agya had virtually no chance of ever gaining enough power to force an evolution.
No. Imps like Agya used to be. The dungeon heart had forced an evolution on her in order to contain the power of her new status as a dungeon lord. She was a quasit now. A demon specializing in stealth, deception, and poison. The assassin of the demon race.
A feeling of intense pleasure ran through Agya’s new body, and she ran her hands along her sleek, toned new form in appreciation. Heat radiated from between her thighs, and she let out a soft moan as her slender fingers dipped into her wet slit.
Reveling in the feeling of new power and a brand new body, Agya indulged herself there on the catacomb floor. Her dexterous fingers sending waves of electric pleasure through her as she explored her newly evolved pussy. She was hot, tight and wet, and she wondered briefly if this meant she was a virgin again.
That thought brought a peel of shuddering laughter from her as she fingered herself through a trembling orgasm. Her solid ab muscles flexing as her thighs tensed, and she left a wet stain on the floor between her knees.
Panting softly, the newly evolved quasit licked her fingers and stood. For the first time noticing the heavy wooden door now occupying a wall that hadn’t been in the room before.
Grasping the handle, Agya pulled the door open and entered the anchor chamber of her new dungeon for the first time.