We break our huddle and add our efforts to Bones and Fury to repel the remaining demon army. A bad command from Glimmer and Bloom to their army sets up a devastating attack from Bones. Hundreds of demons are wiped out. Battle turns to a one-sided slaughter. Less than ten minutes after the betrayal, the remaining demons turn to run. Fury pursues them for miles, returning when they no longer pose a threat.
All except Fury, who keeps to the sky, get to work. It's a bit easier knowing our dragon is keeping a careful eye on the retreating demons as well as keeping any ambitious fliers away from us. With our dragon in the sky and the Bones’ army on the ground our task force can work with relative safety.
Bones' dead army is massive. Mixed with enlightened and awakened demons reanimated from the dead, the troops provide tremendous manual labor and security. Bodies of the dead not risen as a soldier are gathered, and cores and weapons are collected and set aside for some unlucky fool to sort through later.
Once the dead are collected, we begin clearing the grounds of trees, rocks, and shrubs. Led by Apper, all the demons with earth mana aid in the process, doing quick work of what would be a daunting task. Before long, we have a significant ground clearing next to the river and lake.
The trees, uprooted through mana, are placed in a tight border around our settlement grounds creating a forest wall for us to hide in. Rock and dirt walls are built up behind the trees, which is then enforced by bone plating.
Inside our new fortification, Apper and the demons work, creating a massive building for a temporary residence. Three huts are built next to our common house, after which watchtowers are constructed next to our walls. Which does nothing because we have massive trees blocking our vision. It turns out not a single one of us knows what we are doing regarding fort building. It's not ideal, but we have a somewhat secure structure to get more organized.
Nette, we're done. The way is clear and has a structure to house all the lycans. We're sending a large force to escort the rest of you here.
Tell Bones it took him long enough.
Tell him yourself. That's not a battle I feel like fighting.
Oh, right, I can talk to him properly now. One moment.
"Damn spiders. They don't even do anything." I hear Bones mumbling in the distance.
We will prepare to leave, says Nette. I can feel her satisfied smirk in her thoughts. I can only grin and shake my head, which doesn't look cool in front of my two new demon friends.
All the dead demons not working on our base are instructed to follow my command. Bones, Apper, and Bloom, stay behind to work on the base. Glimmer, a bunch of demons, and I start our trek to the lycan rendezvous.
It's an uneventful journey. We continue to clear the grounds of death and destruction as we travel. No hostile forces oppose us making our travel quick. Once we reach our destination, I clear up some questions between Gene and Glimmer explaining that we are now all on the same team and that my promise for the opportunity for power is not misleading.
We then travel to our fortress, allowing me to field some deserved criticism on how bad our structure is. We say our hellos, get the lycan children settled in the new home, and send a large force of Bones' army to guard our fortress. Gene adds some rituals that increase our protection, and then we focus on our next problems.
All gathered in the big building, the five hundred and something of us are quite the crowd. Surprisingly it doesn't feel crowded or even chaotic. The littlest of lycans are running around playing games. At the same time, some of the older kids are more interested in the gathering of adults.
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Our impromptu meeting has thirty-six of us in attendance: Three dungeon bosses — Bones, Fury, and Nette. Four dungeon arachnoids — Fen, Noth, Cher, and Apper. Twenty-five dungeon lycan teenagers, one of which is Gene's granddaughter Remny. Two demons — Glimmer and Bloom. And Gene and me.
For a moment, we all look around. Some eyes linger on me, expecting me to take charge. My eyes push the boss to speak up, and he waits for Gene to say something.
"Gee, y'all are a talkative bunch," Bloom says, cutting through the silence.
Glimmer gives a soft snort and adds, "Yeah, if I would have known this side was going to be such a bust, I would have chosen to keep fighting dead demons."
"Who invited the Synth Sisters?" Carried by his power, Fury's voice is delicate and profound. It has a certain air to it that craves attention. While anticipating his following words, my mind can't help but get lost in the coolness of the name 'Synth Sisters.' It's absolutely perfect. Fury folds his massive arms and naturally towers over us all.
In the corner of my eye, I watch for Bones to assert his bossness, stick out his chest, strike a pose, or pull someone down so he can stand taller. The boss does none of those things. He is calmly watching the two dryads with an anticipating smile. I'm not sure if he's more excited to hear their retort or for the possibility of fighting some more.
"Probably the same person that taught the peacock to talk." Before Bloom can say another word, Bones quickly interjects.
"You hear that, T'am? Dragons are birds." It takes me a moment to recall our empty conversation weeks ago after we first met Gene. I'm sure Bones was parading a bravado, and I called him a feathered bird, and it got translated into a dragon. Fury is no peacock, though. Instead of feathers and fluff, the guy is scales and strong. Scary strong.
I'm about to speak when warm air vents from Fury's questioning outburst. "What?" The dragonoid's arms folding becomes more menacing. His eyes shift between Bones and me, locking us into his glare. Everything feels warm and dark. It's quiet only for a moment. I'm unsure if I should speak up, so I don't.
"Alright. First things first." Bones sidesteps Fury's question by taking the lead. "What are we doing?"
"Isn't that your call, boss?" Noth asks. The no longer silent spider sister is standing between Bones and Nette. We're all in a big circle, standing like a bunch of fools. I would summon a chair, but that wouldn't be appropriate, and I don't think everyone wants to wait for me to summon them a chair of their own or if they even want a chair. Meetings are hard.
"It is, and it isn't. I am the boss, but Gene is the queen of the lycans, but she is also bound to Li, who also has a claim on this land."
"He's taken?” asks Bloom. He promised me a pet.”
“What is his claim?" asks Glimmer.
My mind almost isn't quick enough to catch Bloom's implication. If it weren't for a chuckling pair of spiders at my side, I would have let the words pass. "Uhm…"
Gene jumps to my aid, saving me from digging myself into a hole with words. "I've made no claim to him. I even rejected his subtle reverse proposal. I'm only bound to him as his pet." That didn't sound right. She didn’t say that. I didn't hear that… right? The devilish smile on Gene's face confirms my fears, and I find myself deep in the pit I was destined to hole up in.
My cheeks are hot, and my lips are pressed tight, fighting back any idea of speaking up and somewhat holding my breath. The light chuckles from the spiders are not helping. "Before we reveal too much to the sisters, we must ensure they are on our side." Gene finally does come to my rescue.
"And how do you propose to do that?" Nette asks.
"Well, you could dig into them and find the truth for yourself, or we can have them create some oaths."
"I already read them. They are as dependable as the breeze." I'm not sure whether Nette meant that as a positive or not. I guess it depends on your stance on breezes.
"Can we join the dungeon? We will swear an oath if you let us bind to the core?" The sudden decision of Bloom catches us all off guard.
Bones is the first to speak. "The vote has been cast. Of all the dungeoneers present, the vote has landed in your favor of joining the dungeon." The questions on the two dryad's faces are almost priceless. I'm guessing Nette ran the poll internally, which is really cool. "Let's bind the Synth Sisters to the core, and then we can dive into who's in charge."