Chapter 38: An old Friend.

I gathered a group of soldiers. My squad consisting of Slimey, Zorin, Hector, Kappybara, and the skeletons under my command as well as Buttstalion. For now, I planned on leaving the goblins behind, ordering them to secure traps and fortifications beside Spooderman.

While I could bring them with, the only purpose the goblins served in their current state was food and cannon fodder. A fact made clear to me during their poor performance during the unicorn stampede.

No, I would need to train them, teach them tactics in warfare and battle if they were going to be of any use.

I turned my attention to the mausoleum, entire teams of spiders and slimes being used to install the coffins. Could I be using the minions to do something else that was more productive? Perhaps, but my minions deserved a proper burial. And what better place than my throne room where they would be with me always?

As I prepared to order Slime and my detachment to leave, Ayaka approached, the giant spider lowering herself a ways in front of my throne.

“My Lord, I, Ayaka humbly ask to approach your throne.” The spider sent, her molting bits being cleaned up by my cleaning slimes.

Ok, that’s new.

Sure, whatever. I sent absentmindedly.

“Lord Hiro has deigned to allow you within his presence. You may approach.” Slimey sent, her gaze one of disgust as she looked down at the massive spider queen skittering towards the throne.

Actually, come to think of it, when did my throne get so high up?

Somehow my throne had managed to rise up into a pillar with stairs leading downward, the chair initially just a spot for me to be centralized in the chamber now an actual throne room!

AND I WAS SO HIGH UP!

“State your request.” Slimey demanded with an authoritative tone that was akin to a queen addressing her subject.

“Lord Hiro, Lady Slimey-”

Lady?

“-I would request a bigger role in your army, that my silk be used to fashion clothes and armor for our army. My Queen-Silk would make for an excellent cloth for your body-”

“Denied.” Slimey said with no hesitation.

Ayaka lowered her head, beginning to skitter off

No wait! Hold up! I’m the one giving orders here! I ordered Ayaka to stop.

That was a good idea really. While I had the giant spider sequestered in my homebase, I could spin up some garments for Zorin and the goblins. Maybe even teach a goblin to sew? To make a proper outfit out of the silk.

An interesting Idea, begin immediately. I sent, much to Slimey’s displeasure who flashed a green color.

“And… perhaps… i-i-if I do a good job?” Ayaka said, shifting on side, her massive body leaning as her mandibles touched each other like a shy schoolgirl.

Maybe. I sent, the giant arachnid scurrying off to her knight with excitement.

Of course I would never actually feed her addiction. Especially if either of us wanted to remain alive as Slimey’s hands gripped my neck.

****

Riding in Slimey’s hands who sat atop Buttstallion, I made it back to the enemy dungeon’s territory. Pausing at the collapsed entrance, I let out a squeak, pinging the area to observe that the formation of rock had been shifted slightly. No doubt, a creature or being attempting to escape but failing.

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Kappy, I ordered, the large green lizard-like boar biting at the rock with its beak.

And now we wait.

Hmmm. Maybe I should gather a thousand slimes or something and try to combine it with Slimey? I let my thoughts drift, mainly focusing on how I would train the goblins and how to deal with Ayaka’s addiction. I could use Purify on her, but it would probably take a significant amount of time, not to mention her anima constitution, she would be resistant to the skill.

After a few moments, Kappybara had dug out the rock and ore, some of the bits still slightly warm from the explosion.

With the entrance clear, I sent a mind message to Ayaka, ordering her phase spider to teleport in and teleport Kappy out to work on other projects.

Let’s go. I sent, giving the order to march forward.

Entering into the enemy dungeon, what remained of the once lush and flourishing underground garden was now nothing but ash, charcoal, and burnt scraps. Charred carcasses littered the field, burned flora sat wilted, and the rock and stone that constituted the ceiling was marred by ash.

We moved slowly but cautiously, Zorin at the forefront with her new crystal scales that she kept rubbing and admiring, almost entranced.

At my sides, Hector and my newly acquired skeletons under his command, each one carrying a slime and spider on their boney bodies.

Man, wouldn’t it be nice to have Ayaka’s juggernaut, I lamented. Yet alas her phase spider was only capable of teleporting items it could physically carry.

Anyway, we marched slowly, moving at a brisk pace as I let out numerous squeaks.

The damage was extensive to say the least, Chloe’s attack creating some form of cascading explosion that had wiped out the forest and every living thing in the dungeon’s territory.

I could feel the darkness mana lingering in the air, hanging in the ash. Whatever traces of anima mana being infected and taken over by its counter element.

Marching, I sent another ping, taking in the shriveled grass and burnt dirt.

We were in a field. Or… what used to be a field.

Desolation lay in the wake of my attack, nothing left on the grassland save for a large crater with floating bits of debris from the mana overcharge and the hole in the ceiling.

Overkill? Definitely, I didn't intend to cause this much damage but it was good that I did. Given the breadth of the enemy territory, a full on assault would have been a losing battle. And diplomacy was out of the question as they had attacked me first.

“I'm sensing movement.” Slimey said, my squad shifting and spreading out.

Hold.

My next ping picked up movement, a humanoid shape poking its head out of an opening in the crater.

Great… and here I thought it would be easy.

Move slowly. I ordered, my army making their way towards the hole in the earth by way of the floating debris and chunks of earth.

Quacks…

Reaching it, I realized that this opening was part of a larger tunnel system, one made visible by the explosion.

I pinged the tunnel, the corridor going for a ways before hitting what appeared to be a humanoid figure.

Hmmm. Was that a scout? Or the dungeon guardian?

I didn't know but it wasn't moving. I sent out a few more quacks, each ping showing me the same humanoid figure that had its hands raised, its mouth open, its body in a position of running away.

The heck?

We needed to get closer.

Entering into the tunnel it wasn't long before my menagerie was sequestered in a lavish underground garden, one littered with…

Statues. Dozens-no, hundreds of statues, resembling various types of creatures including spiders, skeletons, minotaurs, treasure mimics, cockatrices, and even…

humans.

Odd. Scanning the underground garden untouched by the flames above, I realized that I was within a trophy room of some kind, each statue giving off faint magical residue.

These creatures… these monsters and humans… THEY WERE ALIVE!

I recognized the effects immediately, petrification, a type of anima magic that combined dark mana with anima, twisting the two energies and acquiring a… quacks, what did Chloe call it?

A… sym… symbiosis? A parallel state where the dark mana didn't infect the anima mana. A feat unachievable by most spellcasters save for one creature in particular.

A gorgon.

This didn't make sense… The champion was a dryad. Not a gorgon!

Or maybe I had seen Buttstalion’s memory wrong?

I pinged my surroundings again.

No. It was definitely a dryad. So what the quack was-

No.

Time seemed to freeze, my mind going blank as I focused on a statue of a young man with cat ears. One I recognized, a teen, maybe no older than sixteen who's feminine face was twisted in fear.

Alexio.

A catboy journeyman blacksmith, one serving under Zorkwen as his adopted son and second. Alexio was a talented craftsman, quick with his hands, fast on his feet. The boy often handled the repairs of all our armor and gear and maintenance of our mounts.

“Are you ok my Lord?” Slimey asked, sensing my distress.

I… I'm not-

Suddenly movement, a vibration traveling across the ground and into Slimey where it reached me.

Huh?!

I quacked, sending a ping, my squeakerlocation picking up something impossibly large in the garden moving.

Oh… quack.

It was the dryad, burned, broken, and glaring at me, the lithe feminoid furious at the sight of me. Yet, that wasn't what made me choke on my own squeaker.

No.

WHAT MADE ME BEGIN TO PANIC WAS THE HUNDRED FOOT TALL SNAKE IT WAS RIDING!