FSE

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Chapter 35

"I'm not letting you get away with this!" said the Goblin as she crawled over to him, her legs trying their best not to obey her.

Rain simply raised an eyebrow as her hands ran over his thighs and up toward his groin. They came to rest on his large sheath and her breathing hitched as her fingers failed to encircle it.

"So big..." she whispered, unable to look away.

Rain relaxed as she began squeezing and prodding at it in blushing fascination.

Soon a flash of pink showed amongst the black fur and Opal cooed. She pushed her hands against the sheath as hard as she could, exerting herself, pulling down at it, trying to free the broad tip. With a small lurch she succeeded and the head of his slowly hardening dick slipped free, pushing free from the sheath, stretching it wide with its sheer mass.

It gradually poured out. So thick and heavy that Opal struggled with it and it hung down under its own mass, filling both of the Goblin's arms with its immensity. She staggered under the weight of it, her arms trembling as she struggled to just keep it up, the surface so hot it warmed her arms where it touched.

At last his uninflated knot squeezed out of his sheath with a soft pop and his massive cock began to stiffen. Opal enthusiastically ran her hands up and down it, her eyes wide with excitement, each bump and vein her small fingers caressed heightening the hungry heat in her groin.

Rain watched lazily as she squeezed and massaged and tongued the surface, eagerly coaxing it harder and larger. By the time he was fully hard her eyes were round and there was a little fear there. She bit her lip and shakily held up her forearm against the brutal looking tool, she let out a little whimper seeing it reached from elbow to fingertip and completely out massed it, a skinny branch in comparison to a hulking trunk. A whole solid thirteen inches of dick, a bit more than 4 inches inches across in diameter throbbed in Opal's hands. A little over twice the length he had been but as with his height it did not give a good picture of just how much larger he was in mass, his dick was over ten times the volume and weight it had been when they had last fucked. Large enough that Opal couldn't get her fingers to touch around it using both hands, the largest vein on it was as thick as her pinky.

"H-holy shit, it's so much bigger than any of the Orc's dildos," whined Opal, her legs trembling at the sight, a fresh scalding hot line of lubrication running down her inner thigh.

"Don't be nervous." said Rain with half lidded eyes.

Opal nodded and swallowed. She put her hands on either side of the dick and with difficulty lined its jerking length up with her mouth. She kissed the tip, then pushed her lips up against the head. Unlike last time she could not even fit the head in her mouth no matter how she strained her jaw, her front teeth could only butt up against the hard flesh. She whined anxiously as she did her best to swirl her tongue around the tip, her hands pumping his length.

A paw appeared behind her and she only had a moment of surprise before it gripped the back of her head. Her jaw stretched further than she thought possible and her lips popped over the head of his dick. Wild eyed she looked down its length as her small hands scrabbled against its hard surface trying to regain control of the situation, but her strength was nothing compared to the beastial strength holding her and she could do nothing but take it as Rain's dick was pushed a further inch inside. She was then pulled back and pushed forward once more heavy pressure filling the back of her mouth. Her eyes looked up, pleading, but Rain was relentless as he used her mouth as a sleeve for the head of his dick, straining her to her limit. Raw masculinity filled her, she could taste and smell and feel nothing else, it overwhelmed her senses and she could only desperately hold on and ride it out. As she reached her limit she let out a long involuntary moan and another hot line of fluid ran down her inner leg.

Rain paused, and then, slowly, he pulled her head away from himself. A flood of precum waterfalled from her mouth as her reddened lips popped from around the head, sticky lines of fluid joining her lips to the tip of his dick for a moment before snapping free one after the other.

Breathing hard, her reddened lips parted, she glared up at him.

"Don't give me that look, I know you love it."

Her mouth shut abruptly but she couldn't stop a fresh flush from reddening her face.

"I could have done that on my own," she muttered looking aside.

Rain gruffed a laugh. A massive pair of paws came down on her hips and the goblin looked down at them fearfully. They gripped her waist and dragged all of her up into the air, her legs kicking at nothing, dangling below her.

Rain's dick throbbed and twitched as he lined up her snatch with the tip. The Goblin's breathing accelerated as her hands gripped at his forearms. She looked down, her eyes slowly widening like frost across a winter pond as the size difference was suddenly made very very real. She watched as the broad tip came to rest against her small puffy pussy, dwarfing it. She was sopping wet and dripping, to the point that it only took a moment for a dozen rivulets of herself to run down his throbbing length.

"I'm not worried about you fitting Opal. Because I'll make you fit. I'll stretch and mould you to fit me until you are mine down to your very soul."

"Oh, g-godsss!" whined the goblin biting her lip. "M-make me youurss!"

Rain grinned ferally and began to push her hips down. His cock head pressed up against her muff, squashing it. The pressure was enough to squeeze her clit entirely free of its hood. He increased the downward weight on her hips relentlessly until with a sudden lurch and SCHL-POP! His cock head pushed inside of her, her lower lips stretched obscenely wide around his girth in a thin O shape. Opal howled and her legs spasmed, Rain had to hold her steady as her pussy reacted, desperately clenching and gripping at the massive invader as fire ran up her spine, she hadn't realised she had orgasmed until a moment later and it hit her hard.

"HNNYYAA! Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuuuck! gods what are you waiting for! Give me mooore!!" cried Opal a line of drool running down her chin.

Rain complied and slowly pushed her down his length to her verbal gasping delight. One inch, two inch, three inch, the goblin began hyperventilating seeing his length disappear inside herself.

"Yes, yes! Oh f-fuuuck!"

Rain began shifting his hips, each push in he would drag her down a little further until an entire six inches was inside of her, the full length of his cock last time they had done it but now it was less than half.

"D-don't stop! m-more!" said the goblin as her snatch desperately tried to milk his overpowering length.

She descended down two more inches and a small bulge appeared on her stomach. She gasped and put her small hand over it, feeling the massive cock inside herself distending her belly.

"Gods that's so fucking hot."

"I'm not done yet. Rain dragged down her hips and she slowly, deliciously, slipped down to come to rest on his uninflated knot, her puss compressing down and refusing to go further.

Opal clutched at the visible now fist sized bulge in her belly with both hands, eyes wide and lips parted.

"Holy fucking shit, you're so fucking big!" she panted.

"Told you I'd make it fit."

He gripped her hips and lifted her up, the bulge vanished from her stomach and her puss being dragged down as the massive tool left her with a lewd sound. She whimpered seeing most his length freed, slick and shiny with her juices.

Rain eased her back down, the bulge in her stomach reappearing as she descended. She moaned helplessly as she felt herself utterly filled once more.

"F-faster... p-please! G-go! Fuck me! Use me!"

Rain lifted her, using her like a cocksleeve to pleasure himself, lifting and dropping her with ease as she got used to being so stretched and filled. He began to pick up speed, and her ankles bounced off his hips as he became rougher, more forceful.

"hArDwer!!" She cried, hands clutching at her stomach, mouth hanging open.

Rain complied and pulled her down to slam into his knot. Her clit squashed up against it then she rocketed back up with a yelp as he lifted her free and slammed her down again crushing and grinding her muff into his knot. She gasped and squeaked as the pressure built, her fingernails digging into her distended stomach and she let out a helpless scream of pleasure as she was lifted yet again.

"Ahn! AhhN! AHHN!"

Rain adjusted and drove her down all the harder. He could feel her insides convulsing and clenching down on his length desperate to keep him inside, but he was relentless and forcefully dragged her back up. Her labia stretched tight around his girth was dragged and pulled down, slipping and deforming over every bump and vein on his throbbing cock.

He growled and then he brought her down hard.

"AIIIEEE!!!!"

She howled as she squirted, her eyes rolled back and fluid exploding from her tightly stretched cunt, high pressure spraying over Rain's knot and drenching his stomach and thighs. Her fingers scrabbled at the bulge in her stomach and her ankles drummed against his sides as her whole body trembled and shook.

Rain paused as she collapsed against his torso, still with him deep inside herself.

"I'm not done you know," said Rain cocking his head.

"G-gods, j-just give m-me a-a second."

"No."

He grabbed her by the hips and pushed up the boneless whimpering twitching goblin. One paw engulfed a leg and pulled her around, twisting her body around so that her back was facing his chest. This was, of course, brutal on her pussy and she moaned whorishly, peaking in a squeak as she was roughly shoved into place. He then got his feet under him and stood, the Goblin letting out a gasp as the ground dropped below her. Opal hung off his dick, her limbs dangling, her body supported by his paws around her hips and the length inside of her. He growled and tightened his grip around her hips.

"C-careful!"

"Is that Opal speak for 'be rougher please'"

"...Fuck you. Fucking fuck. Damn you, alright it's true, I want you to use me like a fucking sex toy, make me your living cock sleeeeve!!"

His claws dug into her hips.

"You never had a choice."

"Okay okay okay, hnyaaa!" she whined as Rain lifted her up, exposing his cock to air.

He eased her back down as her breathing started to accelerate and her reddened muff was pushed against his knot.

"W-wait!"

Rain paused once more.

"You." said Opal. "Kobold. I can see you watching."

A sudden rustle in the foliage drew Rain's attention and he saw a flash of red scales.

"Get out here." snapped Opal.

Awkwardly the Kobold slipped from behind a bush and peaked out at them.

"What do you think you're doing," growled Rain, his eyes narrowing.

"I- I n-nothing! I j-just heard you and-"

"He's a pervert!" said Opal.

"No! No I'm not!"

"Sure you are, tell you what, you can watch."

"No! I uh- wait what!?"

Rain leaned forward slightly. "You want him to watch?"

"Yeah, he wants it bad enough he should see what a real monster is capable of."

Rain leaned back and barked a laugh. "Fine."

"Show him how to fuck a girl pro-

Rain ignored her and roughly pushed her up against the tree, her forearms resting on the bark trying to hold herself up as he pulled his hips back and then thrust into her.

"oh! Ohhh! GoOODS!!"

He actually put his strength into it and his cock pistoned in and out of the Goblin's poor abused cunt, each time her ass collided with his knot and thighs it let a out a lewd wet slap causing her globular cheeks to jiggle and bounce, each draw back had gossamer strings of fluid linking from the knot to her crotch until he went to far and they snapped only for him to come slamming back in to her.

She wailed, desperately trying to get some kind of balance against the tree, but she could only barely hold on as she was used, her long black hair and tits bouncing up and down out of control from the rough treatment.

Drool running down her chin she tried to compose herself and stare down the Kobold.

"S-See AHH! seE kOb- OHH! -old! Thi s ish howh yoiuh fUCCCCK!!"

She nearly bit her tongue as she was roughly pushed against the tree, her breasts squishing against the bark. Rain pulled his hips back far and her pussy let out an obscene wet schurlp as the mass was nearly removed leaving behind a vacuum.

The Kobold was trying to look away but kept snatching glances at Opal as she was fucked silly. To his shame his loin cloth tented and he had to push it down.

"Hnnnnyyyaaaa!!" squealed Opal as the tempo increased and accelerated, each thrust hammering into her muff and squashing her sensitive clit. Shoving her roughly up against the tree closer and closer until the bulge in her belly was pressing up against the bark and Rain could feel the press of the smooth wood through the Goblin's body, the additional pressure squeezing against her pussy walls sending Opal wild.

As Rain came close his motions started to become arrhythmic and jerky. He leaned forward as he rutted the goblin, slamming into her harder and harder. Then with a savage roar he thrust one last time and with a lewd loud SCHL-POP!! Her cunt yawned wide, lips going thin before slipping around the mass of flesh that was his knot, the knot rapidly swelling up within her canal, inching outward and locking them together.

Opal howled.

"AIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Her legs kicked at the air and she thrashed in Rain's grasp. Her hands grabbed at the bulge in her stomach, fingernails raking red lines in her skin. Fem cum exploded from her puss, spraying down the ground between Rain's legs repeatedly and spattering up the tree darkening the bark, what didn't make it free waterfalled over his sheath to wash over his balls. Her walls rippled and spasmed, stretched beyond all reason and sensation, her nerves exploding and lighting up like fire crackers as chain orgasm racked her body, her eyes rolled up and her tongue lolled and strained from her mouth as she thrashed and squirted and climaxed over and over without end.

Rain groaned and shuddered as he came, a massive load high-pressure spraying into Opal's womb, then again, and again, Rain's hips bucked upward involuntarily as each surge of cum exploded from him, hosing down Opal's insides and rapidly filling her. It just didn't stop and Opal's hands shifted as her belly was filled, fifth, sixth, seventh load gushing into the over filled Goblin, more and more and more, distending her stomach like she had eaten a huge meal, a smooth arc from her ribs down to her mons, her hands clutched at her rounded cum belly, Rain's swollen knot holding everything inside.

With one final straining gushing release inside of her the wailing screaming Goblin's belly surged outward another entire inch.

Rain slumped against the bark breathing hard, then after a moment he slipped down to lie with his back against the tree. The Goblin flopped on top of him, still twitching as she came down from overwhelming chain orgasms, Rain still fully inside of her. Her taut rounded belly heaving and wobbling with each breath.

They remained like that, basking in the aftermath, Opal lying atop Rain. The Goblin had her eyes closed, her mouth slightly parted, a string of drool connecting her lips that shifted with her breath. She occasionally trembled as pleasure aftershocks rolled up and down her body.

A little while passed in glowing satisfied peace. Rain put a paw on Opal's curved out belly and stroked the smooth arcing surface. It was warm.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Can't we just lay here like this, with so much of you inside me?"

"Yes... but I want to say this anyway."

"Mmm."

"I wasn't always a monster."

"Wait... what are you talking about?"

"I was never a slave and I wasn't always what I am now, I used to be a leveler, a Human, I died at the great lake on the bottom floor of the dungeon and was reborn as this, merged with, something, on the bottom of the lake, an ancient long dead monster I think. I thought it better you didn't know because monsters like you hate levelers."

"..."

"Do you hate me now?"

"...I ...I don't know... did you wait until we were like this to tell me on purpose?"

"No, I just can't keep anything from you when we are this close, entwined, inside you."

"I think... All we've done together, you're no leveler Rain, you're a monster."

"Am I?"

"Trust me, as a monster, I know. Maybe you were a leveler once but you aren't anymore."

"Maybe you're right, I never actually got to 'level' in my old life, and merging with the thing on the bottom of the lake, it... changed how I feel. I feel more assured, more assertive, more... animal."

"Mmm... gooood."

She wiggled and cuddled up to his broad chest, winding her fingers through his fur.

Rain looked down at the Goblin and decided to let her be for the moment. He let his head fall back against the tree and looked up at the cavern. The massive flower bulbs hanging from the ceiling peeked from between the branches, their bright glowing petals filling the cavern with a golden summer light, the pollen particles drifting lazily through the air lent an amazingly peaceful atmosphere. As he watched the bulbs slowly began to bloom, their vast petals unwinding and spreading out, their multicoloured natural beauty on full display.

He felt himself drifting off.

He woke a little while later feeling motion atop himself. He opened his eyes to see Opal trying to move. She was sitting crouched over him, her feet to either side of his hips. She sucked in a breath, set her legs, and then with a grunt she tried to lift herself. Her legs were like wet rope however and after a moment of straining and trembling they collapsed under her and her feet went out to the side with a whimper.

"Your legs are too weak."

"N-no they aren't!"

Rain snorted and put his paws under her armpits causing her to gasp. He lifted her as her hands desperately clutched at his paws. He watched with interest as her puss was slowly dragged down and stretched out as his still partially swollen knot tugged her labia downward. Her lips stretched wide and then with a sudden Schl-pop! His knot burst free.

"OOHH!!" moaned Opal as she fell from his paws and onto the ground dragging the rest of his massive length from her folds with an obscene wet schlurrp!!

Her swollen belly hit the grass and compressed.

A stream of cum gushed from her abused gaped puss. She shuddered as it was forced from her folds, a thick hose of white that splattered and puddled on the ground pooling around her as her belly shrunk down to normal. She whined as she was emptied, her legs trying to move but only flopping helplessly against the ground.

She managed to roll onto her side, a river of white rolling from her reddened swollen muff over her thigh and ass to pool on the ground.

Rain watched the Goblin lying in a small lake of his own jizz with amusement.

"You know I'm going to bathe you again now."

The Goblin tried to escape but her legs wouldn't listen.

"NUUUUU!!"

Chapter 36

The Elf-sheep slipped from the cave tunnel and peeked around a large rock into the huge cavern.

Ahead of her was a permanent encampment, this being the second floor of the dungeon it was a common stop-off point for levelers. She was surprised to see it not as it was when she had last been here however. The camp which normally held at most two dozen people, and that only rarely, had swelled to over a hundred. Wooden palisades had been put up around its perimeter and it buzzed with activity amongst the uneven rows of tents as levelers rushed around preparing for... something. An expedition if she had to guess. She was shocked, it was rare to see such a large showing in a dungeon because organizing levelers was like herding cats.

Her eyes quickly found the reason why this had come about. An Inquisitor with a fearsome pair of horns crowning her head strode through the camp, shouting and commanding people. A red haired girl rushed to keep up in her wake, a terrified and sleep deprived look in her eyes. She noted with curiosity that the Inquisitor appeared to be missing part of her arm, only a bloodstained bandaged stump a little after the elbow remained. She pitied the one who had injured the Inquisitor, Inquisitors were known to be viciously sadistic in their retribution.

She decided she would rather avoid the Inquisitor's attention. An Inquisitor was not to be fucked with after all, and this one especially judging by her barely restrained fury. They were one of the few who did not require being very highly leveled to command others, instead relying on the authority and threat of the Queen. Not that she suspected this one was low leveled, the Inquisitor held herself far too assuredly for that.

She noted that the group she was seeking had come with the expedition, a dozen Lamia with their own set of large domed tents had cordoned off one corner of the camp for their own use.

She turned behind her to where the pregnant Lamia was delicately holding onto her hand and peeking past her shoulder with curiosity, the pair of Humans behind her looked on warily.

"We made it, you're safe now. But I want to hold the invisibility for just a little longer, it would be best if we avoided attention, it looks like something important is happening and I don't want to get caught up in it."

"Oh darling, of course, anything for our wonderful Rescuer." Beamed the Lamia.

"Is-is it really safe? I can't believe it, this is like a dream," said one of the Humans fearfully.

"Yes," said the Elf-sheep. "There's a huge camp of levelers just over there, I'm sure they could take on and defeat just about any monster or monster tribe in this dungeon comfortably. There's nothing to fear, I promise."

One of the Humans started crying and clutched at the other.

"Th-thank you! Thank you for rescuing me! I can never repay you for this, you saved my life!"

The Elf-sheep waved it off. "It's fine, I did agree to help you pro bono, not that I wouldn't have without an agreement anyway."

"Oh dears, dears, I am so sorry you had such a time, I should have helped, this is partly my fault. My Half-goblin children listened to me, had I known you were so unhappy I could have said something. My apologies, I just wish I could turn back time. Listen, I need to make this up to you, come live with me while you recover and ah, give birth. I am fabulously wealthy and I'm quite happy to spend it to make you two comfortable in this trying time."

"Really? I have nowhere else to go, that would mean so much!" said the dry eyed human who was now looking a little less dry eyed.

"P-please, if you can hide me until I give birth, I- I don't want my husband to see me like this," said the one with streaming eyes.

The Lamia scoffed. "Your husband is a fool if he cannot love you despite this. Silly Humans. But of course I will be quite happy to put you up no matter the case."

The tip of the Lamia's tail slithered around the crying woman until the tip reached her head, The Lamia then wiped away the woman's tears with her tail tip.

"Lead the way Lyra, let us away!" said the Lamia, nodding at the Elf-sheep.

"Yes, just remember to hold on tight, it would be awkward to become visible at the wrong moment."

The chain of four, with hands linked, slowly and carefully made their way around the rock and descended down onto the grassy cavern floor.

Several dirt paths lead away from the camp. The paths had enough traffic that Lyra decided to take them over the grass and avoid them altogether. They neared the palisade warily. It was not that tall but tall enough that three pregnant people did not have a hope of climbing over it. After a moment of consideration Lyra led them along the wall and they neared a gap where a dirt path led inside.

"We're going to have to slip by the guard. Care not to break the invisibility, it's fragile. We'll have to hold to luck that they aren't on the lookout for invisible levelers."

The three nodded in determination and Lyra slunk forward. The entrance was being guarded by a severe looking Elf and a Human, each fairly highly leveled and well off judging by their gear. She paused and let a man with a heavily laden handcart pass and then slipped into his wake. Fortunately, the man was slow enough that her own procession didn't have any trouble keeping up.

The Elf's sharp eyes paused on Lyra for a moment as she passed, did he know? Elves had an aptitude unlike others to sense the use of magic. A pair of magical spectacles with violet lenses hung on a chain around his neck. He would only need to lift them to his eyes and pour mana into them and he would be able to see straight through Lyra's invisibility, all four of them instantly laid bare to his sight.

The Elf furrowed his brow causing Lyra's breath to hitch. The Elf's hand began to move toward the spectacles, but the Human suddenly motioned to something behind them. A cart being pulled by a number of Goblin slaves had stopped by the path as one of the Goblins had fainted from exhaustion. The Human guard began to approach the cart and the Elf guard followed.

Lyra let out a breath of relief and quickly shuffled her pregnant procession on into the camp.

They snuck amongst the rows of tents. The tents differed as it seemed that the Inquisitor had rallied from the locale populace of levelers. They varied from small tents, to medium tents, to large expensive tents owned by the highly leveled. People bustled between them and Lyra had to navigate through the gaps and least busy areas.

A clopping sound caught her attention and she turned her head in time to see a particularly large female Gnoll type Centaur heading toward them, she dragged the group out of her path in alarm as the Centaur trotted oblivously by. Curiously a black cloaked figure rode on the Centaur's back, their face obscured by a wooden mask. They weren't the only ones to notice and the Centaur attracted stares.

"My, what is that Centaur doing? Allowing a person to ride her back? Scandalous!" Whisper hissed the Lamia.

"I couldn't tell you, it is odd though, I thought Centaurs hated allowing others to ride them unless they absolutely had to."

"They certainly do, oh, I've seen a Centaur demand a duel to the death just for a drunk fool attempting to climb atop them!"

"Hrmm. Maybe the Lamia will know, and more to the point maybe they will know what this whole thing is about."

They continued along behind the tents, by coincidence following the Centaur. Lyra kept a careful eye on her, wary of where she was going, she did not want to be accidentally trampled by the strong looking leveler. While her lower body was that of a wild mare the upper body was that of a powerful looking Gnoll, muscle rippling beneath her coat. She had a grumpy look in her eye.

As Lyra watched the Centaur suddenly came to a stop in front of a Human. Lyra had to take a moment to take in this new Human as he was jarringly large, over seven foot she estimated. He was extremely muscular with arms like tree trunks and long black hair and a fearsome black beard that hung over his chest, braided at the edges with silver rings. One of his eyes was covered by a black and silver eyepatch. A fat black cigar hung from the corner of his mouth, he rolled the cigar between his teeth as he eyed the Centaur from beneath a heavy brow. He sat on a wooden throne which creaked beneath his muscular bulk, that someone had gone to the trouble of dragging it out to the camp an indication of the man's power. His large ring bejeweled hand rested on the head of an actual real Hellhound by his side. The Hellhound's eyes glowed red as it observed the Centaur with its master. On his other side a six and a half foot long black greatsword was thrust into the ground, although it could barely be called a sword, more a rough slab of brutal looking iron.

This Human leveler had a fearsome aura about him, as though he could crush any who approached with ease, a dominating presence that made others hold their breath and mind their manners while around him, scared to even come under his gaze.

Lyra knew who this was.

It was the town Ranker.

The grumpy Centaur scowled. The figure on her back remained silent and still.

"Why are we out here Bane? I'm not even part of your town."

The Ranker stared at her silently, dark smoke curling from his mouth, spiralling lazily into the air.

"Because the long legged bitch demanded it." He gravelled, his voice like heavy dark stone. "Had it been anyone else I would not be here and I would have put them in the ground for trying to tell me what to do."

"Then she incited who she works for as a threat right away? Damn, what happened to make her go so far?"

"She hasn't said. Some monster, that was made clear enough by her commanding a lockdown of the dungeon."

"And now we're stuck here? I heard some talk of a multi-evolver, can't say I believe it, or maybe I just don't want to believe it."

"She's hiding something and she's new. No doubt she fucked up and lost her arm to one of the nastier regular monsters, a Panthara perhaps, and all this is just bratty revenge."

"A Panthara? Ugh great. I'd rather not spend the next few weeks hunting all over for one of those hateful fuckers."

"Feel free to take it up with her..."

The man lazed back in his throne, smoke curling through his beard.

"I'll pass thanks. She looks mad enough to bite my head off."

The Ranker raised an eyebrow but then looked away, disinterested. His gaze passed over where Lyra hid and for a fraction of a second she felt irrational panic. Had he seen her? But then, thankfully, his gaze moved on.

Lyra swallowed, her throat dry. She tugged on the Lamia's hand and they crept away.

The invisible procession slipped between a row of tents and came out in the small area that the Lamia had cordoned off as their own. The tents were markedly different from the others, mostly due to them being of much finer more ornate quality, far larger and all round in shape instead of the wild variety in the rest of the camp.

A pair of Lamia with coiled tails played cards outside one of the tents as another group sparred with spears in a small sandy clearing.

"Oh! It's my brother cavorting over there, he will be pleased to see me!"

"Please my Lady, I am to see you to my commissioner first of all."

"Yes, yes, let's be done with it then."

Lyra eyed the group then scanned the tents until she found the one she wanted, the largest and most expensive looking one.

She pulled at the Lamia's hand and the group followed. She approached the tent and looking around she surreptitiously pulled aside the tent flap. Inside was a large space containing a full sized four-poster bed as well as a full sized writing desk, absurd things to bring into a dungeon, but then Lyra's commissioner was quite wealthy.

He sat at the desk writing a letter, his black and red scaled tail draped and coiled around his seat.

Lyra made sure the last two Humans were inside and let the tent flap flop closed.

The male Lamia's head jerked at the sound of falling cloth and turned to look at the entrance. Of course there was nothing to be seen and he furrowed his brow, his chiselled jawline clenching slightly as suspicion rose. Then after a moment he seemed to realise something.

"It's you, isn't it? The Rescuer I sent out to save her."

Lyra let the invisibility drop and the four of them were revealed.

"Target acquired, service rendered my Lord, all in a day's work, I know, I am quite brilliant. Your Seers were correct as you surmised, your wife lived and survived despite the naysayers who declared her death. May I present your erstwhile captive wife, Lady Glyrieth!"

The Lamia, Lady Glyrieth, clapped her hands together and cheered.

The Lord only had a flat stare for Lyra. His gaze moved to Glyrieth's very clearly pregnant belly.

Lyra coughed lightly into her fist. "Uhm, is that okay?"

His emotionless gaze moved back to Lyra.

"What happened to the two I sent with you?"

"Oh, uh, about that, In the process of, uh, rescuing I might have been slightly captured myself."

"Slightly."

"Y-yes, and sadly the two mercenaries you sent with me refused to be restrained, they were killed in action. Very brave."

"...I see."

"Oh don't be a stick in the mud Wranvyre! She did wonderfully, it's all quite adventurous, being rescued, although admittedly a tad unnecessary."

The Lord frowned. "What do you mean... unnecessary?"

"It's not how we thought! I descended from high society to slither and adventure amongst the dungeon, oh what did I think of the tribal monsters, I expected mindless wordless creatures incapable of anything but barbarism. But no, they showed thought, reason, and an interest in learning. I would have eventually come to an understanding."

"I, uhm, tracked her down to a Half-goblin tribe, she had been there for some time I believe."

The Lord's eyes narrowed and he moved from his seat, his long tail uncoiling itself and lifting him up.

"You mean to tell me." He slithered closer. "That this pregnancy is the result of monsters?"

"Oh hush, it wouldn't be the first time I've lain a clutch with another, nor your self having lain with another and openly parented a few bastards, nobody cares, no Lamia anyway."

"With levelers, Glyrieth, not monsters. Never filthy monsters."

"I'm not sure that there is that much of a difference these days, at least with the tribal ones."

"Words I abhor to hear just came from your lips Glyrieth."

"Words that are true! Whether you like it or not things are going to change around here and I intend to see that is the case. My half Goblin children will be an excellent example to show society once I birth them. You'll see, their tribal memory is nothing to underestimate. I intend to form a movement, I have a cause!"

"A cause." Wranvyre's eyes glittered.

"Quite. My companions," she gestured at the two Humans who flinched. "Will also both birth-"

"Do feel well Glyrieth?" he interrupted. "Perhaps your pregnancy and ordeal has had an effect on you and you are not yourself." He slithered closer and took her hand.

"Hardly. I enjoyed the experience, it made so many things make sense and click into place. Plus, you know, monsters can be quite interesting lovers, I think you could learn a thing or two husband."

"You compare me to monsters?" The Lord's brow rose.

"In the art of pleasure there is always mo-"

A black knife appeared in Wranvyre's hand and punched into Glyrieth's throat. A wash of red ran down her chest as her eyes widened in shock. She tried to scream but only a wet gurgle was produced as more blood burbled from the wound.

The others froze, the attack had been so sudden and violent that it took more than a moment to process what had just happened.

The Lord spun as one of the Humans opened her mouth to scream and his hand shot out, the knife leapt forward like a bolt from a crossbow slamming into her eye socket. She slumped down dead.

As the blade hit and the woman died the Lord's tail snapped out at the same time. It slithered up the leg of the remaining woman who was turning to see her companion die, her face ashen. She tried to cry out but the tail reached her head and the tip wrapped tight around her throat preventing her from making a noise.

Glyrieth slowly sunk to the ground as the light went out of her eyes.

Lyra backed away wide eyed. She raised her hand to use her invisibility skill.

"Stop. Or the girl dies." Wranvyre raised his hand.

Lyra paused, the pregnant woman's desperate eyes begged for help as she clutched at the tail squeezing around her neck.

"I, I don't have anything to do with this you crazy bastard, nor does she!"

"You did not have anything to do with my wife's insanity. Her decision to try and suicide bomb my reputation and standing was hers alone."

"Then let us go!"

"Unfortunately Uxoricide is not looked well upon. Her family would seek to harm me for killing my wife."

"Well you shouldn't have done it damn you! She didn't deserve to die, you should be punished for what you did!"

"As far as they will know I did not kill her. You hold the knife that did the deed after all."

Lyra blinked at him then looked down at her hand. Her hand held the black blade that had formerly been embedded in the pregnant woman's eye socket. Somehow she now held it, her hand was even spattered with blood.

"I- what? H-how?!"

The snap crack of a breaking neck made her look up and she only had a moment to cry out before the dead body of the other women held in the Lord's tail was flung toward her with all the power of a high leveler. The pregnant woman collided with her brutally and she was blown out of the tent flap and sent tumbling across the ground, knife flying from her hand to go skittering across the dirt. She collided with a Lamia's tail in a heap.

She clutched her arm, the impact had been hard enough to bruise bone and she winced and hissed breath between her teeth as she gathered herself. She looked up to see that the Lamia she had rolled up against was Glyrieth's brother.

"What's this now? Are you okay?"

"Hel-"

Before she could finish however Lord Wranvyre burst from the tent and drew all eyes. Lyra was amazed to see he barely looked the same person, tears ran down his cheeks and his body language was stricken.

"She came back, she came back! But we've been betrayed!"

"Woah, hold on now, calm yourself Wranvyre, what are you talking about?"

Wranvyre jabbed an accusing shaky finger at Lyra.

"That freak Mutt, she- she brought Glyrieth back, we were momentarily reunited, but this thing, this wretched criminal demanded a hundred times the payment, and when we denied her she murdered Gylrieth in hot blooded retribution!

"NO! No! It cannot be so!"

"Glyrieth's dead body is incontrovertible, she was slaughtered by this money hungry wretch." He ripped aside the flap to his tent showing the body of Glyrieth in plain view of the entrance conveniently arranged to show her bloody neck.

A hand grabbed at Lyra's hair and she was dragged up into the air, the furious brother got in her face, then he grabbed her arm and held up her blood covered hand.

"What have you done!" screamed the brother.

"I-"

"Hold her still, I'm going to end her, I cannot allow this sub-sapient trash to breathe a moment longer."

A green fireball began to coalesce in Wranvyres palms, it was smaller than most, just the size of a marble, but it gave off a frighteningly deadly air.

"It wasn't me! He did it!" cried Lyra, although none of the watching Lamia looked like they believed her.

"Lies! She has a heart as black as any monster. A defect of her mutt birth. Just look at her bloodied hands, the hands of a murderer!" roared Wranvyre.

Glyrieth's brother held her up, a cold look in his eyes.

Lyra could only stare as the green flaming marble darkened and Wranvyre prepared to throw it.

This was the end, she was sure of it. She had come to this dungeon town hoping to start a new life only to be caught up in another plot.

She closed her eyes, there was nothing left to do, the Lamia who held her was far above her level and his grip was as iron.

Mother I am sorry, I couldn't amount to much.

A hilt suddenly and unexpectedly materialised in her hand out of thin air. The black knife!

She didn't hesitate. Her arm whipped around and she stabbed the Lamia who held her. The knife sunk deep. She pulled it free as the Lamia screamed and plunged it in again, and again, leaving a dotted row of wounds up his tail and abdomen. The Lamia dropped her as agony made him lose control of his faculties.

Lyra used her Skill faster than ever before in her life. She vanished. The green fireball shot from Wranvyre's hands like a straightened bolt of lightning, stabbing through the air where Lyra had been visible a second before. It hit nothing however and snapped into the dirt leaving a small smoking hole.

"Healer! Get me a healer!" cried Wranvyre.

"Fuck the healer, kill the mutt," groaned the brother, as he sunk down to the ground, his hands trying to cover the bloody puncture wounds.

A healer pushed through the forming crowd and rushed up to the fallen Lamia. The commotion was large enough that it had drawn levelers from other parts of the camp as well as the nearby Lamia.

"You all saw it! That mutt not only murdered my wife but also tried to murder my brother in law!"

The crowd was angered.

"I want her dead, no, I need her dead! The first to bring me the Rescuer's severed head on a gilded platter I shall reward twenty, no, Fifty Thousand Gold!"

The crowd roared.

Lyra looked back at the crowd in dismay as it disintegrated and began sprinting through the tents with weapons drawn, randomly jabbing at the air. Her arm clutched in pain, the black blade clenched in her fist, she hurried away, praying fervently that her invisibility would hold true.

Chapter 37

Rain picked up the now clean and dry and clothed Goblin having bathed her once more, despite her furious protestation.

She had her arms crossed and wouldn't look him in the eye. Her legs dangled beneath her uselessly.

"This sucks."

"Not my fault if you can't handle a good hard fucking."

"Shush you."

"Maybe if we do it enough you will get used to it so you won't have this problem."

Opal scowled but an interested look crossed her eyes.

Rain put her up onto his shoulders with her feet dangling over his chest. She grabbed at his fur to hold her balance. He was far larger than last time he had carried her like this and her legs were spread wide.

"Where can I find more to eat Opal? I don't want another Panthara, that monster was far too cunning, and much too dangerous."

"Yeaaah. Pantharas are a big nope. It's fine, there are tons of monsters in the dungeon. We could walk for miles across just one floor, we'll definitely find something at some point. Hmm..."

As Opal spoke about where various monsters could potentially be found, Rain untied the Kobold's chain from where he had looped it around a tree. The Kobold was already up and waiting to go with Opal's old rucksack on his back. The Kobold seemed distinctly disinterested in mentioning what had happened earlier and was trying very very hard to pretend it had not happened.

Rain gripped the end of the chain in his fist and they made their way out of the giant flower cavern.

Walking didn't take as long as it used to as Rain's increased size meant longer legs and a longer stride. The Kobold had to hurry to keep up.

They wandered through the endless warren of dungeon tunnels, occasionally popping in and out of minor caverns and varying biomes. At one cavern a dozen small horned rabbits fled from Rain's presence as he went to grab them, eager for a snack. They disappeared into tiny burows carved into the cavern wall. Growling in annoyance he turned away.

His hunger was starting to rise and pull at his attention when they emerged from a dark twisting tunnel into an extremely large cavern. It was by far the largest Rain had seen in the dungeon so far. A vast plain of long grass stretched out before them, the ceiling so far overhead that clouds had seemingly formed. The clouds scudded across the underside of the cold glowing crystal and rock. A ruin was in the middle of the cavern and dozens of smaller stubs of stone dotted the grassy plain.

"Is... is this normal for a dungeon?" asked Rain looking at the other side of the cavern several miles distant.

"Uhm, I don't know, but the witch in my old tribe warned Gobbos from coming here. We should go around..."

"If that witch didn't want people coming here then I want to know why. Goblin witches hate me because of whatever species of monster I am, this could be related, it could be an answer. It... It feels like something is here..."

"Or it could be that there's just some nasty monster and she didn't want Gobbos dying pointlessly."

"True, but I'll kill and eat it if there is."

He strode out onto the plain, long grass flattening under his feet. The Kobold required a tug to be moved from the safety of the tunnel.

"H-hey, my tribe knew of this place too!" squawked the Kobold as he stumbled onto the grass.

Rain turned to him with a frown. "They did? Do you know what this place is?"

"Uh, well, sort of, It's uhm, Haunted! We shouldn't go here! Maybe! Please don't eat me!"

"Haunted?"

"Yes!"

The Kobold looked around frantically. The plain stretched out before them. A breeze brushed the long grass.

"Haven't you noticed? There's wind in here! In a dungeon!"

"He's right, that is kind of strange," murmured Opal.

"It's probably because this cavern is so large, or maybe there is air rising up from lower caverns disturbing the air in here. I'm not turning back because of some wind."

Rain marched further into the cavern, fearful Kobold in tow. They came across one of the stone stubs dotted throughout the grass. Now that Rain was close he realised that it was the very last remnant of a structure. Blocks of stone littered the ground around the small finger-like chunk of masonry that was all that remained standing.

His eyes followed the stone blocks peeking from amongst the blades of grass into the distance.

"I think this cavern used to be filled with buildings, like a city... A huge city..."

Opal peered down at the heavy block stonework. "It looks old, like the stone stairs between floors."

"Maybe it was the same people who built them. It would make sense that they would leave something other than just stairs behind right?"

They wandered across the plain, various pieces of ruin becoming visible, a piece of fallen arch, a corner of a tiled floor, a stumped pillar. whatever had been done to the place had leveled it, torn down every structure stone by stone until only the one ruin in the middle was left standing.

As they approached it Rain realised it was a part of a castle, although nearly destroyed beyond all recognition. The walls were shredded and scarred, the dark stone blasted and melted in places. The ruin had a skeletal bleak feel. The wind blew through stoney gaps with a hollow echoing sigh.

Opal shivered on his shoulders.

"This place is creepy..."

Rain didn't reply but approached a wall. On the wall was something familiar. An angular runic script that looked like it had been clawed out of the stone. It was the same as the script around the gold band on the giant petrified alligator they had found dead by the great lake. He put his paw flat on the wall, the runes were the same, although this time his claws dwarfed the markings.

"I was right to listen to my gut, these runes, I think they were made by my kind, these marks were made by claws like mine."

The Goblin peered down at them sceptically. "I guess they could be, the dead thing that was on the bottom of the great lake was supposed to have lived a long long time ago. It's possible it was part of the people that built this stuff."

"Maybe there will be more inside... Maybe a clue about what happened here..."

Opal hesitated then nodded her head. "Yes... there might be."

They wandered beneath ruin, into the shadowed halls and broken rooms. The ceiling was tall, enough for Rain, with Opal on his shoulders, to just fit beneath. The wind was muffled here and Rain was a little disturbed to hear it sound a little like a susserating whisper in some unknown language as it filtered through the ruin.

The Kobold yelped suddenly and Rain turned to him.

"What is it?"

"I- th-thought I-I s-saw something, there was a weird pale head, at the end of the hall looking around the corner!"

Rain narrowed his eyes and rushed forward. He came to the end ready to catch whatever monster was there but found the following hallway empty.

"What did you see? Tell me."

The Kobold yelped as he was pulled forward on his chain. "Elf! Or H-human maybe! I can't tell they all look alike to me!"

Rain blinked in surprise. "Not a monster?"

"No! I don't think so anyway, but then again it could be a, uhm, harpy. W-we should go, really!"

"If there really are levelers here then they would have come for monsters so that they can kill and level up from them, so if you did see a leveler then we can be sure there are monsters too," murmured Opal.

"Caution it is," said Rain. He shook the Kobolds chain and gave him an evil grin. "You go first."

"W-what!" spluttered the Kobold. "B-b-but I can't! I- I- have a condition!"

Opal scoffed. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I'm scared."

"Good. It's like fishing, a wiggling worm on the hook attracts more fish, or something," leered the Goblin.

Rain yanked on the chain and the Kobold yelped and scuttled forward with tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He approached the next corner.

"WhymeWhymeWhyme, should have kept my mouth shut, oh godsohgodsohgods."

The Kobold slowly stuck his snout around, ready to bolt at the slightest motion.

After a moment he released a breath.

"There's nothing here, it's just a big empty room."

Rain approached behind him and peered around. The hallway terminated just a few feet ahead and opened into a dark and shadowy hall.

"This must be in the center of the Ruin, if there's anything important I bet it's here."

They slowly emerged into the hall, it was a vast thing with great square pillars marching down its length to either side. The occasional crumbling gap in the ceiling let pinpoint beams of light through. Dust motes hung sluggishly in the light, giving a still and heavy feel to the space.

The hall was deathly silent until suddenly a thud and the click clack of a lock behind them caused them to turn. A pair of heavy bronze doors had shut themselves over the entrance they had come through. The Kobold rushed up to them and desperately tried to pull the doors open but they remained solidly immovable.

"Oh gods we're all going to die!" moaned the Kobold. He turned on Rain. "I told you! I told you so! This place is! It's h-HAUNTED!"

"Quiet."

The Kobold's mouth clicked shut with a terrified look up at the wolf.

"Is it just me or is the end of the hall... darker." whispered Opal. The oppressive stillness and weight of stone holding her back from speaking aloud.

Rain narrowed his eyes at it. It was true, the hall was unnaturally dark, and despite his excellent night vision, he could only barely perceive that there was a stone throne at the end.

A voice came from the shadows, a dry husk of a voice.

"Unusually observant, but then you appear to not be a band of foolish levelers who have wandered once more into my domain. Curious. A Kobold, a Goblin, and a..."

The shadows suddenly drew together and a cloaked thing materialised upon the throne. Its pitch black clothes made from layered rags that writhed of their own accord. The creature was large, or rather the throne was large, yet it still sat comfortably upon it. Its hood was shadowed yet it was still possible to see seven humanoid skulls of various species packed inside, one even had horns. Squeezed amongst the skulls were smaller skulls, rat skulls, bird skulls, canine skulls, cat skulls. Each eye socket of every skull had an eerie green flame flickering in it.

"If I may ask, what exactly are you?" it said, "I know of most if not all monsters in this dungeon, and I have been here a very very long time, yet I have not seen one of your kind."

As the creature spoke the jaw bones of each skull shivered and trembled and the flames flickered and flared.

"An old species. I couldn't tell you what I am, I don't know myself," answered Rain warily.

"What a strange answer." A breeze seemed to lift and brush against its rags. It smelt like ancient death.

"You say you've been here a long time? Then you must know something of what happened to this city we stand in?"

The creature seemed to study Rain.

"This dead city has always been here for all the centuries that I have existed, it has always been, just as the rest of the dungeon has always been, these things just are. If that question is your only reason you have come to my domain then you are truly as foolish as all the levelers who came before. No matter, you shall make a fine addition to my collection, a body such as yours will be well suited."

Opal suddenly piped up. "It's not your domain!"

The 'eyes' of the creature looked above Rain and focused on the Goblin. "I have lived here longer than tens of generations of your kind. All you see is mine."

"Doesn't matter. Wolfie here's people built the place."

"An absurd claim."

"It's true! You're a squatter!"

The creature seemed to pause hearing this, a ripple of irritation crossed its pitch black rags.

"No, I am not."

"Yes you are! You're living in someone else's home without permission! You're a bum!"

The fire seemed to flare in its eyes. "Stop talking."

"Squatty squatter! How about building your own house instead of squatting all over the place!"

"Nonsense. I shall endeavour to flay your skin from your body before you become mine Goblin."

"Big talk coming from a lazy bum squatter squatting in other people's property because you're too cheap and lazy to build your own house. Squatty squatty bum bum, squatty squatty bum!"

"Shut up! Shut up! I command you to shut up!" shouted the creature, its eyes blazing in fury.

"Squ-

"ENOUGH!" it roared.

The creature abruptly stood from the stone throne, its 'hands' emerged from the sleeves of its cloak, each bone hand had at least twenty digits and were a mix of different creatures, claws and talons and fingers, even some small creatures' arms acting as fingers. The disturbing looking 'hands' roiled and twitched, the fingers clawing and twisting at the air. A scraping sound soon came from the empty entrances around the throne and a white thing rushed across the ground, a snake? snakes? No, it took Rain a moment to realise what he was looking at was not a pile of snakes but dozens of spinal columns twisting and writhing and slithering across the ground, coming together to twist into a larger boney length. Large black triangles were attached at various points on the spines and were dragged into the bone mass giving the effect of a thorny vine.

The 'snake' slithered up to the cloaked creature's feet then coiled upward into its hands where it formed into a thick staff. The black triangles, which on closer inspection appeared to be some kind of giant shark like teeth, arranged themselves so that the top quarter of the staff was studded with the things, the largest at the top, each tooth the size of a fist. A brutal looking spiked club.

"I would have liked to have avoided damaging you. Oh well."

The skulls grinned.

Its free hand came up and the many fingers made a beckoning motion at the darkness. After a moment the air was filled with a moaning and shuffling and Rain and Opal could only watch as figures stumbled from the doorways. They poured in, a veritable crowd of species, everything was present, monsters, levelers, Goblins, Kobolds, Humans, Elves, even to Rain's dismay, a huge Panthara.

As they came into the lighter part of the hall their rotted faces were revealed, haggard torn skin hung from shambling bodies, injuries in life having remained in undeath, missing eyes, torn open bellies, broken bones. The undead stared coldly at Rain, their dead hands gripping whatever weapon they had held in life, now rusted without a care.

"Behold." said the creature. "My collection."

The trio were surrounded by well over a hundred of the undead, the crowd only broken up by the massive pillars supporting the hall.

The Kobold squatted on the ground with his claws over his head, his eyes squeezed closed, letting out the occasional whimper.

Opal leant down and whispered in Rain's ear.

"Get close, it's our only hope."

"I know." said Rain, coming to the same conclusions as the Goblin.

Chapter 38

"Bring them to me!" rasped the bone creature.

The undead broke into motion. They were fast! The front rushed forward in a wave of rotten flesh their rusted weapons held overhead, mouths opening in a collective desiccated howl.

In one smooth motion Rain stepped forward and his foot freighted up under the crouching Kobold's rump. The Kobold only had a moment to scream in surprise before he was punted forward like a stone from a catapult. He went flying through the air tumbling out of control and crashed into a particularly rotten looking undead snapping its spine, he hit the one behind it breaking it too, then he smashed into a third undead in a tangle of limbs.

Rain charged in behind as Opal, still atop Rain, smoothly drew her cutlass and rapier, one in each hand.

Rain's paw swept forward, swiping at the head of an undead Human. The force of the blow caved its head in and it collided with a trio of undead behind it bringing them down too. The undead were not slow to react to Rain's sudden aggression however and they swarmed him. Dozens of smaller undead latched onto his legs, their claws and teeth and knives piercing his tough flesh with varying levels of success, the taller undead howled and chopped down with their rusted blades at his arms and torso, and the weaponless lunged at him trying to climb toward his throat.

He could only struggle, his paws lashing out and crushing rib cages, snapping necks, and fracturing skulls, but there was always more and more and those who weren't completely broken always came back.

Opal's blades swished through the air, each slash ending with a meaty 'shunk!' as she chopped down those trying to climb her wolf steed. It was not enough to stop the swarming numbers and soon Rain was at the center of a hurricane of undead spiralling in on him, crawling over each other to claw and rend and tear his flesh.

Despite the weight of countless bodies dragging him down he managed to, slowly, heave one foot forward, then he heaved the other foot forward, taking another laboured stride, each heavy motion physically dragging the entire chaotic swarm along with him. He strode slowly, heavily, toward the many skulled bone creature, his eyes locked on, blood washing down his body, the weight of over a hundred undead furiously trying to hold him back and failing against his power.

"My you are a determined one," the many skulled bone creature sneered.

It raised its staff overhead and the undead hurricane with rain as the eye of the storm seemed to double down on their fury even as they were dragged against their will. As the seething mass neared the bone creature the undead seemed to avoid touching it, shifting away even as Rain took another leaden step forward.

Rain simply snarled back at its words and brute forced his way forward through sheer strength, dragging the entire spiralling heaving crowd of undead with him and somehow succeeding. He was getting near.

"You aren't a leveler, you have no skills or magic, you are simply another monster. Give your body to me and gain a little worth as one of mine."

The bone creature swung the staff down at him. Rain didn't hesitate, he ripped his arm free from the undead trying to hold him back and grabbed the staff mid-swing. The teeth cut at his paws causing agony to shoot up his arm but he held on, he held onto the staff! With a snarl he heaved it toward himself dragging the boney creature into his clutches, or at least that is what he expected to happen, instead the staff parted halfway down its length leaving the boney creature where it was and Rain holding half the staff.

"You would not believe the number of levelers who have fallen for that old trick," said the creature, its hood tilting to the side and the skulls within rattling and grinning in cruel joy.

Rain could only look on in dismay as the half staff he held in his hands unravelled into dozens of spines covered in razor sharp teeth and began winding themselves up his arm, the teeth cutting long bloody furrows through his fur.

"Rain! Panthara!"

Rain turned his head in time to see the undead Panthara reaching for him. It was taller than him and its talons reached over the undead on long arms to latch onto his shoulder. Its half missing muzzle and one remaining eye seemed to snarl in evil cruel glee as the talons sunk deep and hit bone, the species as foul hearted and malicious in undeath as in life. Rain shuddered and gasped in pain, for once he was covered in blood not of those he ate but his own. He could feel his body failing, pieces of him being sliced away by innumerable wounds and stabs and rending claws and teeth, grinding him down with sheer numbers.

"Fuck you! You can't have him!" screamed Opal and he thought he felt her lunge over his head toward the boney creature. He opened his mouth to yell for her to stop but instead of appearing in front of him she lunged from his side, the longsword unsheathed from her back and swinging through the air. It came down on the Panthara's rotten shoulder like a guillotine and sunk deep.

"Use it!" he heard her scream before she vanished over the Panthara's shoulder and into the crowd of undead.

His paw shot out and gripped the Panthara by the upper arm. With a savage roar he twisted his whole body and wrenched on the arm so hard that it was ripped from the creature's rotten shoulder in an explosion of gore. With wild wrathful eyes Rain turned back on the boney creature and with a snarl drove forward in desperation, muscles straining, using every ounce of strength he had, each step dragging tons and tons of writhing undead flesh with him.

"My Panthara! How dare you! Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is to get one of those nasty horrible creatures! You! Yo-"

Rain's paw whipped out with Panthara arm held by the stump and its wicked hooked claws caught the boney creature's rags. The fire in the creature's eyes died down for a moment as they stared at the Panthara talons snarled up in its clothing.

"Uh-"

Rain hauled back on the arm with all his strength and the bone creature stumbled toward him, near enough that Rain could drop the arm and reach out with his own paw. He grabbed a wrinkle of black rags in his fist and dragged the bone creature close.

"Fool. You will still die, you have just sped your end along!"

The skulls began to chant, a whispery dry wind sound, the green fire in its numerous eye sockets flaring up bright. Rain dragged his other arm free, still covered in the crawling spines. His broad paws slapped down on the shoulders of the bone creature and he brought his head back, and back, until he was leaning as far back from the creature's hood as possible.

The creature's chanting went up a notch in tone and began to rush, panicked. Too late. Rain brought his head forward and dragged the creature toward him at the same time. The skulls single chant splintered and the smaller skulls screamed as Rain's head rocketed toward them.

"Wai-"

"Stop!"

"No!

"You ca-"

"Plea-"

The larger skulls screamed or pled in the moment between but it was too late, Rain's forehead collided with the horned skull in the center of the seven larger skulls like a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil. Bone met bone and the horned skull not being firmly attached to anything blasted backward and exploded out the back of the creature's hood leaving a hole that could be seen straight through. Green electricity sparked between the remaining howling skulls.

The undead stumbled, seeming to become sluggish, weakened. Rain leapt on the chance and surged forward forcing his paws into the gap the horned skull had left. He grasped the sides and forced his arms apart. The skulls seemed to resist, green lighting dancing between the bones desperately holding everything in place, but with a ripsnarl roar Rain tore through and ripped the creature's hood across sending skulls and spines pouring out the sides.

He didn't stop and swiftly tore the creature to pieces, ripping away hunks of cloth and hurling away paws full of bones. Mounds of ribs and spines washed out of the holes in the disintegrating creature to clatter to the floor. The undead fell with it, their motions becoming weaker and weaker until they slumped under their own weight like ragdolls.

Rain tore the thing to pieces until it was nothing but bones scattered across a room with a ripped up pile of rags at the center.

Breathing hard he dragged himself free from the mound of undead, the snake like spines slipping from his torn up arm.

"Opal! Are you alive?!" he roared.

"Yes!"

The Goblin squeezed herself from underneath the body of the Panthara where she had hid.

Rain breathed a sigh of relief. But still limped over to her and checked her over. She batted his paws away.

"You're hurt. Forget me." She looked over his savaged body with dismay.

"It's fine, I just, I just need to rest."

"I hope you die from blood loss you horrible mangy dog!" cried a voice and Rain turned to see the horned skull resting on the stone throne where it had landed. Its voice was a touch higher than when it had been part of a larger body.

While the other skulls littered around the room were immobile and still a crackle of green sparked around this one, its eyes sputtering as it desperately held onto life.

Rain's eyes narrowed.

"All that work, all the time I put into crafting the perfect collection, and you stumbled in and ruined it all! Damn you!"

Rain stepped toward the skull. "You attacked us without cause, you got what you deserve and you likely had it a long time coming. You were a leveler once weren't you?"

"You know? Pah. What does it matter."

"I've heard stories about forbidden classes turning levelers into horrible things. Necromancy. You seem like the sort."

"Yes, I was a great Necromancer, in fact, over level sixty, until that bitch of a Queen found me. I only escaped by transferring my soul to a skull I had secreted away, unfortunately the side effects were... problematic, I lost my status as a leveler and became a level-less undead, more's the pity."

"And you spent the centuries down here pissing around and not planning revenge?"

The skull gave him a sour look. "Do you not know what the Queen is? I couldn't defeat her in a thousand lifetimes. I was retired, you know, this was my retirement you ruined."

His words bothered Rain for some reason. "If you had just wanted it badly enough you- AAH!"

Rain's back arched back as something cleaved into his spine and he fell to the ground, a spot of white hot pain burning up his lower back.

He rolled over and tried to scramble backwards with his legs. To his horror his legs didn't respond, not even a little, he looked down at them, they remained limp and unmoving, paralysed. An image of what he had done to the first Panthara flashed through his mind, helplessness. Panic began to seep in.

A black clad figure holding a long handled axe materialised in front of him out of thin air. The blade of the axe dripped with his blood.

"Oh poor wolfy can't use his legs?"

She stood over him but not by much. A black leather covered Dwarf, a leveler. Judging by how serious and professional looking her equipment was a particularly high leveled one at that.

Behind him the skull cackled, "It's karma! Karma I tell you!"

Chapter 39

The Dwarf kicked at Rain's limp foot and laughed. "Oh my you have caused a fuss. I've never seen an Inquisitor as pissed as you made ours, she was practically spitting acid!"

"She sent you?"

"Of course. Although she did ask for you to be taken alive, and I quote: 'Get me that monster so I can skin it alive and wear its fur while I draw and quarter what remains.' Town was like a kicked beehive let me tell yah. Well, no sense dawdling." She hefted the axe. "I was going to take you alive but after that display I think it safer you come as a corpse. You can thank me in hell."

Rain's eyes widened in surprise, but he wasn't looking at the Dwarf. The Elf-sheep had suddenly materialized out of the air just behind her. What was this? The Elf-sheep had betrayed him?

The Dwarf noticed his look and tried to turn but before she could the Elf-sheep stabbed a black blade into the side of her neck with an anguished cry. The Dwarf's mouth opened to scream but she could only gurgle as blood flooded her mouth.

The Elf-sheep stepped back with a horrified expression at what she had done, her eyes snapped to Rain who was staring at her and her legs nearly buckled underneath her. With a yelp she turned and vanished into thin air.

The Dwarf was wobbling but still up, her hands scrabbling at her belt. Rain suddenly recognised that the glass bottle she was desperately trying to remove was a healing potion. He swiftly leaned back and pawed the skull sitting atop the throne.

"G-get off of me you damned dog! I- no stooop!"

With one swift motion he threw the skull and just as the Dwarf managed to get the potion free from her belt the skull struck it. It was knocked from her fingers and flew across the room to shatter on the stone. The skull bounced up against a pillar with a crack and the last flickering dancing green of undeath whisped out of existence. The skull rolled to a stop, still and quiet.

The Dwarf stared at him in silent fury but even as she did her legs buckled beneath her and she toppled backwards. She was dead before she hit the ground.

Rain let out a rattling breath but then his head snapped around as Opal rushed past, another black clad leveler chasing her, this one a Human.

The Goblin turned and her cutlass swung up to deflect a sword stroke from the leveler. She was clearly outmatched, she was just a small monster and he a powerful leveler, the cutlass was nearly blown from her fingers with the strike and her arm was wrenched around brutally just from the colliding metal. She held him back only by the skin of her teeth, even as he watched her legs buckled, going weak at the knees. The Goblin somehow used her unreliable legs to her advantage and dipped below the Human's blade, letting it whistle over head. She backpedaled, desperately trying to stay up as her legs failed her. It was going to happen again, the same as when she was kidnapped by slavers, falling at the worst possible moment.

"Save her!" he roared, but no one answered. He searched around for something to throw, but nothing was in reach. He could only watch as Opal desperately parried using her two swords, each blow nearly her death.

A Kobold crawled from the mound of undead at that point. He looked around surreptitiously and then ran toward one of the doors. The chain ran out and with a squawk he fell on his tail as it yanked on his neck. He scrambled to his feet and tried to pull the chain free from the undead but it was caught underneath something. He looked around fretfully and spotted Opal as she was backed up against one of the pillars. The Kobold clawed at his face and then with a miserable cry he ran toward them and leapt on the leveler's back. The leveler cried out and tried to grab at the Kobold biting and clawing at him.

Opal didn't hesitate and she plunged her rapier through the leveler's chest and into his heart.

The leveler dropped to the ground, the Kobold still attacking him.

"You can stop. It's over," she said, breathing hard, her hands on her wobbling knees.

The Kobold slumped on the dead leveler's back.

"Oh gods why me," he moaned.

Opal looked around at Rain and her eyes widened. Rain couldn't blame her, he was sitting in a slowly growing puddle of his own blood.

She rushed over to him.

"Wh-what happened!"

Rain nodded at the Dwarf. "Assassin, like the one that attacked you. From the Inquisitor."

Opal made an unhappy face as she fretfully looked over his wounds.

Rain simply snorted, trying his best to ignore her worry. With difficulty he pushed himself backwards using his paws so that his back rested against the foot of the stone throne.

"They must have been following us for a while, looking for a moment of weakness to attack. Attacking something while it's distracted or weakened is a plan we would try, but this time it was used against us."

Opal's hands clenched into fists. "I'll kill that Inquisitor for this." She suddenly seemed to realise just how far gone Rain was as he coughed and blood flecked from his lips. She turned on the Dwarf and quickly began stripping her, efficiently removing her clothes until she was butt naked. She then dragged her over to Rain's side. He weakly gripped the Dwarf and brought her to his mouth where he bit off her head, not bothering to start with her extremities.

"Tough. Chewy. Guess that's to be expected from a Dwarf."

He quickly devoured the rest of her, only requiring two dozen or so bites to completely swallow all of her down. While he ate Opal dragged over the Human and stripped him too. The Human quickly followed the Dwarf into his gullet as the Dwarf was digesting. He expected there to be at least some growth from having eaten two likely quite high levelers but he was disappointed by what turned out to be next to nothing, his body too heavily focused on healing to do anything else.

He checked his wounds and to his relief the bleeding had stopped although he was still in bad shape.

His eyes wandered over to where the healing potion had been thrown and broken. Could there be...?

He pointed at the shattered glass. "Opal, can you check that glass, it is, well was, a healing potion."

A little hope lifted Opal's brow and she scampered over to the glass and crouched over it.

"There- There's a tiny bit in a curved piece of the glass!"

"Good, bring it here."

The Goblin reverently lifted the little piece of glass, careful not to let a single drip fall.

She carried it over to him and delicately put it to his lips, tipping it back. The sip of remaining liquid landed on his tongue and Rain swallowed.

They both checked his wounds. Gradually, slowly, they started to visibly heal, then the healing seemed to slow down, the sip of healing potion limited in what it could do with so much damage and his body being so large.

"It's not enough!" fretted Opal worriedly checking him over.

She rushed over to the pile of undead and dragged free an undead Goblin corpse.

Rain eyed it dubiously.

"You need to heal better, you got to eat this!"

She shoved the body into his paws.

Rain looked over the inedible looking corpse. It looked absolutely terrible, but it was true he needed food.

He hesitantly raised one of its arms and tore it off.

"Eurgh! It tastes like bitter jerky marinated in garbage!"

He made a face but managed to force it down and then started on the rest. Three bites in he started to slow and then come to a stop. He looked down at his stomach and grimaced.

"I... I think I'm going to be si- BLEURGHH!"

Bits of partially digested undead splattered against the floor as Rain heaved up the Goblin.

He spat the taste from his mouth and wiped his tongue with his paw.

"Gods that was disgusting. Can't eat undead. Noted. Bottom of the food ranking you go."

Opal dropped the corpse she was dragging over with the help of the Kobold and gave him a hopeless look.

"I'll live Opal, I just need to sleep, and I'll heal." He left his worries and doubts unsaid as there was nothing else to do but hope the worst of his injuries would fix themselves.

The Kobold stared at Rain warily, it wasn't hard to see that he was hoping Rain would drop dead.

Rain glared back at him and the Kobold flinched.

"Why did you help Opal?"

"Because I am an honourable Kobold, I see a monster in need and it tugs at my heartstrings, I could not leave such an injustice alone."

Rain narrowed his eyes. "Why did you help Opal?"

The Kobold swallowed and looked away. "Because I can help the team! I'm all in with you guys!"

Rain snarled and the Kobold took a step back in fright.

"Okay! Okay! Fine. It's because had the levelers won then I would have been nothing but an experience snack for them, dead where I stood. Levelers don't let monsters live without reason, I was either definitely dead with them or maybe going to die with you lunati- uh, very nice monsters!"

Rain nodded in satisfaction.

"What's your name?"

The Kobold blinked at him in surprise. "Y-you want to know my name? Really?"

Rain nodded.

The Kobold coughed into his fist and cleared his throat. "Rixquintalios'alos the third, third in line for the noble house of Salamansos'firilianaranse. Esteemed giant rat hunter, famed amongst my peers!"

"...I'm not pronouncing that. Your name is now Red."

"Wha- You can't change my name!"

"Your name is Red."

"Nuooo! That's not even a real name! That's the name of a child's toy!"

"Red."

"-But!"

Rain loomed at him, which was impressive given he was slumped against the throne still.

The Kobold whimpered and looked at his feet. "My name is Red."

Opal slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks for saving my ass Red."

The Kobold stumbled forward under the slap and made a pained face.

"That's... you're welcome..."

Rain snorted then turned to look around the hall. He narrowed his eyes.

"I know you're here, watching, listening. Show yourself."

The hall remained still.

"You did what you did for a reason, Don't Leave Me Waiting."

Standing half behind a pillar the Elf-sheep suddenly became visible, her face pale and her legs visibly trembling.

"H-hi...It's, uhm, me...again."

"You saved my life."

"...And m-murdered a leveler, oh g-gods, what have I done..."

"You did what you felt you needed to do, though I would like to know why."

The Elf-sheep seemed to gather herself, as though building up toward a speech she had been going over and over in her head.

"I came because I want your protection, and to 'join'-"

"It's yours."

"-I feel I have a lot to offer your, uh, band. I am out of contract and a free agent, I have a very particular set of skill- wait what did you say?"

"I said you have it. I watched you from the forest as you left the Half-goblin tribe. You can turn yourself and others invisible. I want that."

"O-oh." She seemed to relax a little. "You know I had thought of quite a lot to persuade you, it was really good and very persuasive."

"Well you can still tell me if you wish."

The Elf-sheep sighed. "The moments kinda passed but you should know I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart."

"I know, otherwise you wouldn't have said protection."

She nodded. "I might have gotten in a speck of trouble."

"A speck large enough to throw yourself on the mercy of a monster? Some speck."

"Ahaha, yes. Well, uhm, you know that pregnant Lamia you freed who wanted to bridge the divide between monsters and levelers? Wellll I kinda have a bounty on my head for her murder."

"You didn't murder her did you. If you had you wouldn't have been as bothered by what you just did."

"...No... I was framed by her horrible husband." She held out her hand and a black bladed knife appeared out of thin air in it. "Framed and handed a cursed item I cannot get rid of."

Opal spat. "Levelers. Backstabbing rats. Why should we keep her around? She's just as likely to betray us as the leveler that betrayed her."

"She did save my life..."

The Elf-sheep scowled. "You think I want to be here?! My Class is called Rescuer! I rescue levelers who get into trouble in Dungeons, from monsters, monsters like you lot!"

"Well now you can rescue monsters."

The Elf-sheep groaned and put her head in her hands. "Did I really make the right choice?" She peeked between her fingers. "You know there's over a hundred levelers looking for you right? I should have known it was you from the start, you took the Inquisitor's arm didn't you?"

Opal held up the longsword with a grin. "Took her sword too!"

"Of course you did, things couldn't get any better could they."

Opal scowled. "Why do you even want protection? You've got invisibility, you can just scuttle away like a rat!"

"I can't leave and I have a very fragile kind of invisibility. The only reason those two assassins didn't know to look was because they hadn't heard the news yet. If you know to look and have the right tools or skills it's not hard to see me."

"See! She's useless!" said Opal triumphantly.

The Elf-sheep opened her mouth to protest but Rain held up a paw.

"It's fine. Tell me, none of your skills let you see others who are invisible right?"

"No, I can maybe get a feeling someone with invisibility as fragile as mine is nearby, I'm part Elf, but someone high level? Not very likely."

Rain nodded. "That's... not good. We need to change the situation, either we find some way to see the invisible... or we leave the dungeon, go where they aren't.

Opal turned on him in surprise, even the Kobold looked surprised.

"What!" said Opal. "We can't leave!"

"Sooner or later at least some of those levelers are going to find us and if they are in large groups we aren't going to win. If there are any more assassin types all they have to do is get lucky as we have no way of seeing them. The simple answer is to go where they are not without them knowing, that way they spend their time scouring the dungeon looking for something that is already gone."

"B-but!"

"It will be fine Opal, it's safer on the surface normally, away from a dungeon swarming with levelers? Definitely so."

The Goblin gave him an offended look, as though she couldn't believe he was considering this.

"I'm sorry, It's a nice idea, but it's not going to work," said Lyra "The Inquisitor, she put the dungeon in lockdown, nothing and nobody can leave or enter, it's literally impossible."

"Are you sure?"

"I saw it myself, I went to check the entrance before I found you. We can't leave."

Opal scuffed the ground with the ball of her foot. "Why don't you just take one of the other ways out?"

The Elf-sheep blinked at her. "What are you talking about? There are no other ways, dungeons only have one way out, obviously."

"Hmphh, you're so cocky and arrogant, typical leveler. I have something you don't sheep girl, I have memories, memories of Gobbos in past lives, I know there are other ways out of this dungeon because Gobbo scouts used them in the past."

Rain and Lyra stared at the Goblin.

"Dungeon m-monsters can leave a dungeon whenever they w-want?" said Lyra, a little childhood fear creeping into her voice.

Opal crossed her arms. "It's a secret Gobbo route, for special Gobbos. Like me."

"You can show us the way out Opal? A way to avoid the lockdown and leave all the levelers hunting me hunting ghosts instead?"

"Well yeah, that's what you want right? That's easy."

"I can't believe this, how can there be another way out that levelers don't know about, we have mages that use magic to look for that kind of stuff!"

"Levelers are all drooling nasty morons, it's really not that surprising they'd miss a clever Gobbo thing like that." said Opal, lifting her head at Lyra and looking down her nose at her.

"I'll believe it when I see it. It seems far more likely you had a weird dream and are confusing it with ancestral memory."

Opal stuck her tongue out at Lyra. "Hmph, suit yourself, get ready to eat crow though." She turned away and joined Red in sorting through the undead.

"What's your name Elfy-sheep thing?" said Rain.

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "It's Lyra, and I'm not half sheep, I'm half-Elf half-Woollie. My father was an Elf, my mother a Woollie, and please keep the jokes about sheep to yourself, and the ones about Elves sleeping with anything on two legs."

"My name is Rain. The angry Goblin is called Opal."

"I'm not angry!" seethed Opal.

"I need you to come here Lyra."

Lyra eyed him and then nodded, she took a step from behind the pillar, her legs trembling out of control. She took another step and nearly fell over. She looked down at her shaking sheep legs in frustration.

"I hope spending time around you cures me of this. This is quite humiliating."

She slapped her thighs twice and drew in a deep breath then took another step forward, this time it was a little better and she made her way over to Rain, though still occasionally having to stop to gather herself.

She eyed Rain warily.

"You've gotten bigger since last time I saw you, you- you, you're growing when you eat aren't you? That's why you ate that entire tribe!" Her voice quavered as she spoke.

Rain gave her a full wolf fanged smile.

Lyra shivered.

Rain brought up one of his massive paws and held it out to her.

"I can't move, my spine is broken. I am healing quickly, thanks to the healing potion, but I can't move until then. You need to make me invisible so others can't find me while I rest."

Lyra eyed the paw. "I-I can do that, though my mana won't last forever, a few hours before I need to rest or drink a mana potion if we're staying still."

"That's fine. That should hopefully be enough." He beckoned her with his claws.

She looked at his paw and visibly gulped then extended her trembling hand forward. It came to rest over one of his paw pads, his digits were large enough that each digit was as thick as her wrist and had she tried to wrap her fingers around one it might not have reached.

"Oh, oh, your paws are warm. Uhm, o-okay, I'm going to do it in, three, two, one."

She finished and Rain waited to see what would happen. He blinked, nothing had happened. He looked down at his body, it was the same? No, it was not the same, his fur seemed like it was suddenly darker, as though shadowed. The room was already quite dark despite his night vision but there was a difference. He looked over at the nervous looking sheep girl, her bright white fur was distinctly darker, the effect much more obvious. It was as though less light was illuminating her body.

He turned hearing a gasp and saw the Kobold looking nervously in his direction, his mouth hanging open.

"Oh g-gods, are you telling me this hellish nightmare monster can turn invisible now!?!?" he looked faint. "I don't think I'm going to have a good night's sleep ever again."

Opal tried to sneer at him but she couldn't stop a grin from breaking over her face. "Hunting should be easy peazy now. Lots and lots of food and growth and getting bigger and bigger!"

"They can't hear us but if you shout as hard as you can it will break the invisibility, sudden movements or running too, or attacking. I hope you weren't expecting something better, sorry, I'm not that high leveled," said Lyra eyeing the pleased Goblin.

"It's fine. You should sit."

"I- I should?"

"Yes, I'm going to sleep. I don't think you want to hold my arm up for hours, no?"

"Uh, right."

She awkwardly sat on the flagstone beside the throne and crossed her legs. Rain lowered his paw into her lap, the size of it near filling it. She looked down at the giant paw she was holding, the bloodstained claws a reminder of what this monster was. She shivered and bit her lip.

"Try to relax."

"It's just, you know, you're..."

"Intimidating?"

She nodded.

"I'm on your side now. Whatever you feel about me you now have against those who are after you. I'm between them and you."

"I feel like I've caught the tiger's tail and I can't let go."

"Well you aren't wrong." He grinned wolfishly.

She gave him a despairing look.

"You deal with the cards you are dealt. It's just how it is."

Rain closed his eyes and made himself as comfortable as was reasonable considering where he lay.

"I'm going to make my cards grow however," he murmured.

He felt her hand stiffen for a moment before relaxing. He fell asleep listening to her breathing and Opal and Red arguing.