Jasper had returned to her little annex. Once there she worked on her mental barriers. She knew that her ideas were the best, and Vlad would understand. But she had to keep him in the dark at first. And now for the tricky part; calling up the undead.
* * *
Vlad created a smallish cave giving onto one of his experimental caverns. He settled the surviving goat girls in this cave and produced several items to make them comfortable. He hoped the two mothers to be would be all right. He felt slightly guilty at anticipating that their offspring might prove useful.
Vlad was feeling uneasy. He had the feeling that something was wrong. That some nebulous disaster was looming. After a moment of self doubt he shook himself and made plans to send out a raid to catch a billy-goat from one of the local herds.
His mice indicated that the adventurers were rather lax when it came to maintaining a night watch on his dungeon. So he felt ready to proceed when his mice told him that the watch was particularly lax and when one of the herds was to hand.
The time came two nights later and heart in mouth Vlad launched his raid. Four of his goat girls snuck out and headed for the herd. Vlad just worried himself sick while the girls were out.
Not quite two hours later they got back. They were leading a whiskery elderly goat, and one was carrying a badly wounded unconscious dog. Vlad was so relieved that he rewarded his raiders and had the captives killed so that he could absorb them and learn their patterns.
‘Odd.’ Thought Vlad, ‘I wonder where all that energy and mana went. I could swear I had a lot more of both when I launched the raid. I didn’t loose mana or energy when I sent the skeletons on the raid that netted me the nanny goat.’
* * *
Jasper could barely contain her glee. Vlad had been so worried about nothing that she had been able to plunder their stores of mana and energy. She had been able to summon Red of the fiery skull and six skeletons. Then she had still had enough appropriated mana to summon Twofer and two ghouls.
Jasper hugged herself with glee. ‘Now we shall see. Vlad will have to admit I’m right.’
She waited impatiently for Vlad to turn his attention elsewhere. He seemed preoccupied with those stupid goat girls the Satyrs molested. As far as she was concerned that was all to the good as it allowed her more freedom to do her thing. She quietly opened up her annex and waited for the latest party to arrive.
Jasper grinned, ‘Oh good, it’s one of the weaker parties. They already have three wounded.’
The adventurers entered the first level’s final room hesitantly. They recoiled at the sight of the dragonsnail. Then one of them noticed the new entrance and they decided to delay the encounter with the dragonsnail and filed their way into Jasper’s annex.
Jasper was almost tearing her hair out in frustration. The group had gone through her skeletons and Red as they weren’t there. At least they had recoiled from the ghouls and decided to leave. She used the rest of her appropriated mana to recall her destroyed skeletons and Red. She racked her brains trying to see where she had gone wrong. Maybe she needed to add a few more ghouls to the mix.
« JASPER WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Are you trying to get us killed? »
« Don’t be silly Vlad. Calm down. I’m trying to think here. »
« Get rid of those undead Jasper. Please. For both our sakes. »
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Jasper blinked and grinned with glee. ‘Yes! Vlad can’t affect my home space!’
« Look Vlad, stop worrying. I just know the answer is undead. It’s gotta be! I just don’t have the balance right yet. »
« Please Jasper. I’m begging, for me, for my goat girls, and their babies to be, and yes... for you too. Please, please dismiss your undead. »
« No. How can get the balance right if I get rid of them. You’re worrying for nothing. »
* * *
Vlad scrambled for some way out. He had tried, but there was something that preventing him from influencing or even inspecting an area designated as his companion’s apartment or annex. He cursed the fact that he had agreed to this, but in the beginning he had been very trusting. He felt as if he was growing up, at lightning speed.
The only thing he could conceive off was forming a fifth level. That would allow him an alternate exit. If he could add it in the maternity cave then maybe the goat girls might survive.
He set himself feverishly to work. Three small empty rooms sufficed to fulfil the legalities of a fifth floor. Then he created a carefully constructed and reinforced tunnel opening in the hills behind his dungeon.
Happy that nothing had happened yet he used the new goat to create a guardian for the girls. Nothing difficult, just a goat with system enhanced strength and size. He added two to the maternity cave and sent several of the goat girls from his first level to join them.
Just after dawn the next day Vlad watched glumly as the duck champion strove into his first level gladius in hand. While the guardians in the first room tried to delay Tarwin Silverbeak Vlad urged Draco Mal to the second chamber while he ordered all the other goat girls to flee to join the others.
He watched with pride as seven of them decided to remain behind to buy time for their sisters.
Vlad gathered all his mana and energy. He was aware that this would hurt and possibly leave him unconscious, but he had to try to preserve the seven. He gave them cores and named them.
The last thing he heard as he dropped into a near coma was:
« VLAD! What are you doing! Don’t be selfish! Don’t you know what will happen to me if you kill yourself? »
« (Tarwin Silverbeak, Sword of Armalor) »
Tarwin had spoken to the group of adventurers who reported that the dungeon had relapsed into abomination. He had prayed for patience and now, just after dawn he strode into the dungeon.
The five goat women in the first room fought with cunning. The avoided closing and attacked from several directions at the same time. But they lacked skill, and compared to him, they were slow. Still it had taken him longer to defeat them than he would have expected.
In the second cave he found the wandering dragonsnail. Him he was able to kill quickly. Then the other rooms were empty, showing signs of a hasty exit.
In the last room he found seven goat women and one dragonsnail. The fight was invigorating even if sadly one sided. Still these goat women were as cunning as the first lot and it took time.
Then he faced the new entranceway. He stepped through and immediately noted a subtle difference. Tarwin cocked his head to one side and considered for a moment. Then he moved forward into the halls of abomination.
He found both the undead champions and several ghouls. And in the final room he sensed the accursed imp.
Tarwin raised his sword even as he cast a pitiless gaze at the location where Jasper was hiding. Once again Tarwin declaimed: “I Tarwin Silverbeak Sword of Armalor am here to judge you. In the name of Armalor I strike all who glory in the perversion of Death.”
A dark wave flowed out and when it swept over the cowering Jasper, she wailed “Not agaaaiiinnn,” in shock and fear, even as she vanished.
* * *
Tarwin returned to the main dungeon and proceeded methodically to clear it. He inspected the empty fifth level before returning to the fourth and Vlad. He examined the floating red purple orb thoughtfully. It was dormant, and seemed to be almost devoid of mana and life energy.
Tarwin bowed his head and prayed for guidance. He was granted a vision, and he witnessed the highlights of the last few days.
Tarwin gazed thoughtfully at Vlad and weighed up the possibilities. “Great Armalor, aid me serve justice with mercy as this being deserves. I can not kill a being who has tried to be selfless and true to his creations. But I can not allow this cess pit to continue.”
A dark light flashed in the room and Vlad’s core floated away towards the far wall.
«« Tarwin – Sever the link. »»
Tarwin’s gladius lashed out freeing Vlad. Then Tarwin felt a wrench in the core of his being and dropped to his knees. He watched, stunned, as a secret door opened and then closed and was permanently sealed after Vlad's core passed through. A duplicate empty core materialized and Tarwin saw the link reform.
«« Now break the false core. »»
Tarwin clambered to his feet and hit the false core with the pommel of his sword. It broke into three uneven pieces and fell to the floor.