so i'm feeling a good bit better than i was yesterday, but i'm not sure how long that will last with today's pollen count....... imma try and finish part 2 of this chapter and release it by today, but i make no promises......
oh and i cleaned up and added some stuff to last chapter that i missed becuase i was writing while sick.... go back and check that out and answer that chapters new poll to help me figure out the order of my releases.... thanks a bunch....
oh, and i think the next chapter will be fun for you guys to read, i suggest humming "and another one bites the dust" while you do for added fun. and yes i made dungeon dice a thing.... and yes the explorer's guild and explorers themselves are like their adventurer equivalents in a lot of ways, just with more enphasis on actually.... well.... EXPLORING and discovering stuff......
anyway here is your chapter, or at least part of it: ENJOY!!!!!
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Hanna Tultsven
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I was never really meant to be born. My father was a member of the illustrious slaver family Tultsven, but he went against the family by falling in love and running away with one of his slaves. He had to carve a new and business out for himself practically singlehandedly, and he was somehow able to start up his own rather successful slave training and trading business.
My mother, the slave that my father ran away with, was set free of her collar and made a free woman. She helped my father set up his business, and later when my father was granted a title she helped run his household.
My brother and I were born only after our parents were well known to be a successful merchant family and also minor nobility in the kingdom of Aldorn. My twin brother, Ulisus, inherited our father’s family’s gift for enslavement magic, a rare talent that was only found in slaver families, and enchanting. I on the other hand did not inherit anything besides my mother’s beauty.
I wanted to help my brother when he took over father’s business, so I learned many things: math, accounting, reading, writing, business, contracts, negotiation, and most importantly the art of training and managing people. I was a recognized and gifted slave trainer by the age 11, and by 14 I could handle the entire financial portion of the business on my own.
Ulisus wasn’t idle in his childhood either, my brother learned the complex arts of enslavement magic and enchanting directly from our father. He was taught the things that made the slaver families so powerful and so respected worldwide, he was taught how to enchant slave collars and slave seals. It took my brother many years to complete his training with our father, and even then he was far from our father’s level of mastery.
When we were 15, our mother died leaving our father a widower. Father became depressed, a mere shell of who he was before, and threw himself entirely into his business. This new devotion caused the business to thrive like never before, and even began to threaten the profits of other branches of major slaver families in the kingdom.
Maybe that was the real reason that on Ulisus and I’s 17th birthday a group of mercenaries broke into our home. They killed father, and captured Ulisus and I, they were saying things like how their client didn’t care about what happened to us as long as we were “No longer a problem”. They told us that we were going to be sold as slaves ourselves, and that it was justice that we would have to live on the otherside of things from now on. I guess in a twisted and horrible way that even could’ve been true.
We were moved out of the kingdom, and traveled off any major roads or paths that could lead to the group encountering any curious eyes that would ask about us. I guess they didn’t want the attention two tied and gagged well dressed, if dirtied, people like Ulisus and myself would bring.
While the mercenaries traveled, they would constantly throw comments or make passes at me. My brother valiantly, if foolishly, always came to my defense with insults and threats, it only got him beaten though. The only reason I could find that explained why I wasn’t raped and Ulisus wasn’t killed was that slaves sell better as virgins, and Ulisus would be worthless as a corpse.
It was when we were in the northern forests, close to the border with elven lands and near a rocky area that was known to have frequent earthquake like shaking, when we made our move.
One night, after almost a week of travel a chance came. It was night, and while most of the men were sleeping one of the guards wondered farther into the woods to relieve himself. When he returned, he passed by where Ulisus and I were kept. I spread my legs as wide as my binds would allow and gave him the most seductive look I could, all the while nudging Ulisus to warn him of what I was trying. The guard walked over to me wearing a sick smile without even a moment’s hesitation. While he was distracted and fiddling with the opening of his trousers, Ulisus kicked him in the side of his knee causing him to collapse onto the ground. After a loud struggle Ulisus and I managed to knock the man unconscious and seize his knife.
Ulisus cut himself free of the ropes they bound us with then picked me up while placing the knife in my hands. The camp was starting to stir from the commotion we had caused. My brother ran into cover of the trees while holding me in his arms, a feat that was very impressive given how weak and tired he must’ve been from our captors starving us. While Ulisus ran I used the knife to sever the ropes that were binding my hands and arms, though I didn’t dare attempt to reach for the ropes binding my feet.
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Ulisus ran all night, and only stopped when we came to the flat grassy plain that lead up to the rocky outcropping. He set me down, and I severed the last of my bindings before helping him to look for a safe place where we could rest. We found a little hidey hole in the cover of some of the larger rocks, and decided to rest there.
We slept for a long time, but were awoken by the sounds of armed men approaching us. That was when we knew, the mercenaries had found us. Ulisus was the one who noticed what they were doing and he shielded me with his body as an explosion slammed into the place we were hiding.
We were thrown into a place that seemed to be inside the rocky outcropping at the foothills of the mountain. It was a rather splendid place, with polished stone walls and floors decorated with beautiful designs of many colors. Unfortunately I couldn’t take in much of the beauty of the place as my eyes came to rest on the bloody and broken body of my brother. If I didn’t see the way Ulisus’ chest rose and fell or didn’t hear the panting breaths he took, I would’ve thought he was dead. He was bleeding from what looked like everywhere on his body, and his left limbs were bent in an unnatural direction.
I crawled closer to him, ignoring the minor pains moving caused me. I might have a few bruises and sprains, but that was nothing compared to what Ulisus got in protecting me. I propped my brother up so he rested against me, and tried gently shaking him and telling him to wake up and that we had to move away from here.
I wasn’t thinking clearly, and the sight of my brother’s broken form in my blurry tear clouded vision wasn’t helping me calm down.
I heard when the men came, but I didn’t move. Maybe they would give my brother some treatment to keep him alive, after all he had no value if he was dead.
It’s better to be a slave than to be dead…. And if I have to become a slave as well to save Ulisus’ life, then that is the price I will gladly pay.
The mercenaries hadn’t come into this place yet, they were just standing outside talking about finding something. A dungeon. I looked up when I heard that word.
This is a dungeon? Then maybe if some of the tales about them are true……..
“D-dungeon? M-maybe I-I could…….” (Hanna)
I resolved myself to at least try. The worst that could come of it was nothing happening after all, and in that case I would just resign my and my brother’s fates to the men that ruined our lives. But before that I wanted to at least try, try to make a deal with this dungeon.
I spoke out, making my voice as strong and official sounding as I could. I knew that when proposing a deal, one had to be confident and offer something to the other party. I only had one thing I could really offer though, I just hoped that it was enough…
“I ask for the protection of this dungeon for myself and my brother, and in return I offer up myself as compensation! This I do swear on my very soul! Please help us!!!” (Hanna)
The mercenary a recognized as one of the group’s main mages started to step forward, only to be stopped by the far younger man next to him.
“Quick someone stop the little bitch, she’s trying to make a deal with the dungeon!” (Mage mercenary)
“You actually think the dungeon will care? Or even do anything besides try to kill her if it did? Relax man, we got the girl cornered…” (Young mercenary)
That was when I heard it. It was a voice, like that of a young boy, but it resounded only in my head and not like what was normal. Its words were pleasant sounding, and tinted with the tone of curiosity. I knew at once that this was the voice of the dungeon, what was known as the dungeon heart’s will.
“I accept.” (Dungeon)
I suddenly felt the ground beneath me fall away, and Ulisus and I fell only a few inches to land in an entirely new place. An entirely new place that was utterly filled with giant bug monsters. Giant bug monsters that all started clicking and squeaking when we landed.
I braced myself for death, hoping only that the dungeon honored our deal and spared my brother.
…………. Maybe I should have taken my chances with those foul men……. At least I knew what they wanted and how they would think and act……
Suddenly the noises stopped as the bug monsters gave us more space, though they still watched us. Then I heard the mystifying voice of a woman, much like I heard the voice of the dungeon.
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“I see that Waynor has decided to spare you. I assume he has his reasons, but I don’t like this…. Even if you are his now and have sworn yourself to him. If you or that other dying human try anything I think might hurt Waynor, I’ll have the mites kill and eat you. Is that clear, human?” (Other dungeon?)
I just nodded my head, and started to cry again. We were safe, at least we were for now, but it came at such a cost. I may have just sold my soul to something evil, and my brother was still barely holding on to life. I couldn’t do anything more except tend to some of his wounds, and try and make Waynor comfortable as I waited for our fate.
……….. I should’ve never had to experience this, neither should have Ulisus……… I guess what people say is true after all, huh? Your life really does change at 17 when you become an adult…..
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Tero Bloody-Fist
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I’m the leader of a band of swords, and wands too I guess, for hire. We made a name for ourselves by being willing to do any job, no matter how illegal or “wrong” it might be. Me and the Bloody-Fist crew only cared about one thing in our jobs, how much they paid.
That’s why when an anonymous client approached us through a middleman about taking care of some troublesome merchant who just so happened to also be a risen noble of the Aldorn kingdom, all for more goldettes most crews would see in a lifetime, me and the guys jumped at the offer. We were even told we could do whatever we wanted with the man’s children, as long as they wouldn’t be able to follow in their father’s footsteps and cause our client any trouble.
We took that to be an easy money job. After some of my guys did a bit of recon on their manor house and main shop, something made easy when they posed as interested and rich potential customers, we found out that their wasn’t all that much security. Sure, there were some guards, but even at the manor there were never more than 10 or so posted at any given time. Another plus was the noble brats, they were both reportedly good looking and talented so I thought we could make a decent bonus by selling them off as slaves to the elves. The elves were always happy to buy human slaves, I guess they thought of it as some sort of revenge for all the elves that humans abducted and enslaved during underground raids.
We found out that there was gonna be some sort of private party held soon at the man’s manor, and that all three of our targets would be there with only a handful of other people and some guards. I figured that this would be the perfect time to strike. I organized some 45 of my guys into a raiding band, and sent the rest ahead of us to the elven boarder so that they could begin working out a deal for our little bonuses. I would lead the raiding band myself and my right hand woman would head up the negotiations, our plans were perfect.
When the day of the party arrived, my band and I hit the place fast and hard. We killed most of the guards before they had a chance to fight back, but I made sure that the boys with me didn’t do anything to those noble looking guests. If we did something to the wrong person, our lives could become infinitely harder in the future after all. After the manor was under our control, I gave the scared nobles a little speech about how we weren’t there to hurt them just to do a job. Utter bullshit of course, but it did keep them from trying anything and us having to kill them for it.
The man of the hour we found rather quickly, he had tried to seal himself of in some office type room once the fighting had started. I had some of the guys break down the locked door and cut off the man’s head, simple. Finding his two brats on the other hand took almost an hour of searching, an hour of searching with me standing in a grand entrance room calming some spoiled nobles who had never seen someone hold the severed head of a man before. It was like they didn’t know we needed proof of death to get payed for our job, and dealing with those hoity-toity bastards was beginning to make me contemplate just killing them all to be done with them. Eventually one of my guys, Barry, found the two missing soon-to-be-slaves in some secret room under the office their father was in.
After we found those two, who after some questioning I found out turned out to be quite the catch indeed and had just stepped into adulthood, we gagged them and bound them in ropes so they couldn’t try anything funny. I lead my boys in a fast if not orderly exit, and let the nobles who were there leave once we were out of the manor.
All and all the job went well, most of the boys even managed to steal some things that looked like they could be worth something while they were searching and we didn’t have to make enemies with some noble house for killing one of their spoiled cousins or offspring or something. To avoid any wandering eyes or hero type explorers while we worked our way to the elven border, I kept my boys off the roads and had us move through the wilds of the forests and plains. I had already sent ahead a few of our fastest guys to meet with our client’s middleman and give him the target’s head, this way we could collect the fee once we had sold these brats off without worrying about if the head’s decay would impact our pay. I had seen stuff like that happen on a few jobs like this, and I didn’t want to risk losing any of Bloody-Fist’s agreed upon 10,000 goldettes.
The travel went alright for the most part, though I did have to remind some of the men not to kill the boy or rape the girl a few times. No sense in decreasing our profits because of a few men’s momentary lack of control after all.
That all changed though, the night that the two brats made a run for it. It had taken us all night to track them down, and we might not have found them if old Richy hadn’t thought to put a trace on the girl. Just in case the mage had said, I had never been so grateful for the old man’s paranoia before. Tracking them we came to a mountain’s rocky outcropping close to the boarder, I had already had enough of the damn brats and didn’t feel like searching a mile of rock that popped up to far away from its parent mountain to actually matter. That’s why I told Richy to just cast a spell near them to smoke them out of hiding, I didn’t expect the old mage to use his strongest spell: Explosion.
When the dust had settled I saw that Richy’s magic had uncovered some sort of hidden room inside the rock formation. It was hidden dungeon, and since Barry’s dungeon dice had come up as only 1 every time he rolled it, this dungeon was likely new and possibly even lower than level 1. I had to remind Barry that selling off the brats came first though.
Said brats were inside the dungeons room, and the boy looked to be pretty beat to hell. I figured that old Richy or one of the other mage types might be able to fix him up, and if not then I guess I would just have to dock Richy’s cut for the loss. My men were all excited and talking amongst themselves at the prospect of finding a new dungeon that may have never been discovered before, there was even talk of how much bringing in its core would bring us. I expected this though and let them talk, it was important for a leader to let things like this slide sometimes especially when I myself was practically drooling at the thought of selling that dungeon core. Depending on its size we could sell the legendary soul stone that a core became after it was killed for over 100,000 goldettes, it could increase our profits by ten times!
The one thing I didn’t expect though was for the girl to make some deal with the dungeon, or for the dungeon to actually ACCEPT that deal. When the brats disappeared into some portal that appeared on the floor under them for a moment, I heard the dungeon tell us that we should leave.
I was furious, but I held my temper in check for now. There was still profit that could be made here, it would just take some extra time.
“Barry, Hitch, Stick, you three go find Vera and tell her we had a bit of a problem with a dungeon. The rest of us will go ahead and do some scouting of this place. You might want to hurry back quickly though, we might have already conquered it by the time you return…” (Tero)
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[ Name: Waynor Titles: “Icon of Patience”, “Self-Named Dungeon”, “The One Who Endures” Rank: 0 Dominion Level: 0 Territory: N/A ]
[ Power: { Mana: 14} { Animus: 1,298,767 } Class: ??? State: flawless core]
[ Floors: 1 Rooms: 47 (sub rooms: 183) Inhabitants (slaves/livestock/pets/etc… included): {???: 1} {humans: 1} {Mites: 1,000,000+ (hive mothers: 12) Traps (magical/physical/other…): {spike: 596} {pitfall: 421} {arrow: 327} {wall: 382} {ceiling: 106} {fire: 239} {poison: 135} {acid: 23} {maze: 1} ]
[ Creation Options: {Mana: expansion, building, decoration, design, trap creation, core growth} {Animus: dungeon lord creation, inhabitant creation, soul stone creation/granting, name bestowal, mutation/evolution/etc…, core growth} ]
[ Destruction Options: {Mana: magic, deconstruction, siphoning, absorption, portation (in-dungeon), Teleportation, item/magic recycling (automatic)} {Animus: siphoning, absorption, remodification/recreation, life recycling (automatic)} ]
[ Stored/Owned Creations (organic): {Dungeon lord: 1} Stored/Owned Creations (inorganic) Possible/Purchasable Creations: {∞} ]
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so yep..... the next part of the chapter we have Waynor's POV again, followed by Tero's again..... huh i wonder what Tero's POV could be about?
anyway place your bets people! will Ulisus die? will he live? will the Bloody-Fist crew earn a profit? make your guesses and place your bets!!!
oh, and do all that comment, rate, follow, favorite, and review stuff that fans do, too. you should have a better idea of how this story is by now to rate and review it with now.....
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Author Out.....