??? POV:

"It hurts... It hurts!

Pain!

Make it go away!

MAKE IT GO AWAY!

...

Kill me!"

Narrator PoV:

In the dark oval room where bloodshed had been spilled. The lone survivor made his retreat, whit his masked companion in critical condition strapped to his back. In one corner of the oval room laid their Dwarf companion, burnt to crisps. From the center of the room, Imps was running around in a frenzy, As they were flooding out from the pit which the berserker and fingers second in command had fallen into.

The bitterness of the situation truly hit the pale assassin as he passed the dislodged head of the young scout which had been the first victim of the Dungeon Lord. But he had no time to ponder their mistakes.

His feet were moving fast and steadily upon the uneven ground, even with the extra weight on his back.

The leader of the Fingers was still unconscious with blood flowing from their forehead, dripping down on the cole black stone floor.

Suddenly there was an unnerving silence as the obnoxious imps suddenly went quiet. That was never a good sign!

"""WOOOOOOHHHH""" [Imps]

The roar made the pale assassin hesitate in his steps and he stumbled and fell down with the leader still strapped to his back. He could do nothing more than fall face forward. Catching himself in any possible way to minimize the damage as he impacts the floor.

In a panic, he took himself up to his feet again, securing his leader on his back and started to run. He could hear the sound of Imps cheering in the background as if to hail the rise of a king. And then the sound of several feet running down the corridor in pursuit of the remaining survivors, namely them!

Keepers PoV:

I was standing up after the big explosion where am I? what was I doing? a small man... dwarf? had ignited... My body is hurting everywhere.

My flesh feeling heavy like stone, I had a pulsating headache which pulsates throughout my whole body together with stomach-twisting nausea.

My mind is telling me I should be dead. But I was not!

Instead, I was standing up surrounded by at least fifty small brown creaturs... Imps? Cave Imps.... my Cave Imps... ours!

The Imps annoying screams making my headache worse. One unlucky imp wanders close enough to feel the wrath of my foot as I kicked the imp away. All the Imp turned silent, followed by an even greater roar as if to celebrate a great feat. Hurts! In annoyance, I waved with my hand the direction of the exit as if to say "shoo!". Then all the Imps simultaneously turned towards that direction. Then started what could only be described as a stampede.

Rulers Command

As a ruler, the wielder has absolute command over entities under their control.

Dungeon specific:

Creatures weaker than the Lord will automatically yield to "Rulers Command". Creatures that are stronger must first be dominated for this skill to go into effect.

As they all disappeared into the tunnel I walked with unsteady steps to the door. And sat down by it to take a rest, the headache and nausea subsiding slightly as I did. What had happened? last I remember was the shaking and then... then... Dwarf and fire...

After a few minutes, the pain was finally bearable again and I had formulated a normal thought. An idea. I stood up and looked at the red door to Maleck's study... Maleck! Still untouched by the battles that were fought here. I examined it, trying to put my hand on the doorknob.

After a lot of effort fighting against something like an invisible force, which kept my hand at bay. Like two equally forced magnets pushing each other away. Magnet?... Why even bother questioning it?

My hand finally reached the knob, as I laid my claws around the handle, I kept a strong grip as to keep my hand from getting pushed away.

It was a struggle of willpower just to keep my hand on the doorknob!...I decided to release my hand in the end. It would be too much effort, at this moment in time!

I heard dying screeches further down the cave, coming from my cave imps. MY CAVE IMPS! Rage filled my left red eye. I turned towards the exit of my room and started walking.

The metallic clang of my boots echoed as I steadily walked towards the exit. As I reached the corner of the corridor at the end, I hesitated. I put one of my claw formed hand forward reaching, reaching for that invisible force which usually stops me.

I felt it!

The feeling of something soft yet durable, impeding my way. I laid flat, my deformed hand pushing on it. In mind of breaking through.

As I laid more weight behind my hand it slowly started to sink into this unseen force, as if plunging into; invisible thick mud. After a few minutes, my whole body got through and as I moved I felt very sluggish. I had felt this feeling once before, it was during the time when I fought One-fang. That spider will definitely be next on my list, after Maleck of course!

As I reached my goal I'm keen to notice the giant rock shaped like bugg stuck in the corridor, blocking the way.

In front of the blockage in the cave tunnel stood the pale human covered in wounds, holding two daggers in each hand both with blades aimed away from his center. He was standing between twelve imps and the masked human which seems to be unconscious, for whatever reason.

Twelve, only twelve imps was left of the previous hoard. Seems like when they had encountered the intruders. They were incapable of traversing further and tried to kill them to get further. Very unsuccessfully and very suicidal.

I call off the remaining Imps with a wave of my hand, they all scattered. Climbing on walls or digging out of sight. I lock my red eye with the human. Wich looks back at me with a wild look, as if a starving predator ready to dig in on his newfound meal.

I was angry, yet I did not charge him in my rage. There was something I had to do, there was something missing... what is this feeling of déjà vu?... There was something important I need to do here...

I stood there silent looking at the human. I could see his sweat and blood slowly flow down his face, standing completely still and not even moving a muscle as he looked at me... Then I think I finally got it!

I straighten my back, making myself look big. Then I banged my hand against my chest and roared.

"Ke... e.. per..!" [Keeper] The effect of the silence command stopping me from speaking outright. But the great us was still able to speak somewhat.

The human looked surprised for a moment. But then he also straightened himself, with almost a serene look. Then with a disgusting grin on his face, he made a haughty bow only bending a few centimeters forward...

It reminded me of Malek's smirks, which rubbed me the wrong way. Then he uttered:

"Enrik Bones, my lord. I will be your reaper for the night!" [Enrik]

I think I heard him say something more under his breath... maybe a prayer? But the bottling excitement had already started to burst inside of me!

I took one steady step forward, no reaction from the condescending human. Another step, then another and another. Until I stood right in front of him. Towering above the human, still, a little bit bent forward and still looking me in the eye.

A good second past before I hammer smashed my hand towards the human. Impact! A large boom was heard as my fist connected all the way to the ground. Making some small stones ricochet onto my metal wolf snout in the prosses. But the human was gone!?

As hurt as he had been, I had thought him not capable of moving at that speed. His overconfidence had maybe not been so overconfident at all!

I did not have time to start looking around before I felt the cold steel, with a layer of Imp blood through the bond up against my throat.

'It will-' [Keeper]

I didn't get time to finish my thought processes before I felt a quick slice. Though nothing happened as his strength was too measly to penetrate my armor.

'What was-' [Keeper]

The next ones I barely got the chance to feel as the steel sliced my right shoulder, then my left arm, my right leg, my left flank, my right hand, my left shoulder. For every attack, it sped up.

And then suddenly I started to feel the gentle flowing of blood. The human... no! Enrik had penetrated my armor. I could feel how my armor was working in overdrive healing small to big cuts all around the armor, weakening it for every slice and every place the armor had to focus repairing on.

But how was he doing this?

I had taken an instinctive defensive stance, crouching down covering my face and body. I observed the situation with my [Dungeon Eye]. At first, I could not see him. But then I noticed movement, a white blur! But it was fast, and every time I noticed it a new wound would stack up on me. I could feel my power failing me. As my flame of life was slowly diminishing.

Then as if a stroke of luck I noticed a pattern in the chaos.

Left, right, left, right, left, right.

After every time I see a white blur on the left side, I will then see the next one on the right side.

It's as if he's propelling himself from the walls of this enclosed space, enhancing his movement and making his attacks both fast and destructive.

As I got an attack from the right I rose up and turned left, saw the blur against the wall and then I reached out my arm. I felt something collide with my arm, as I see the human Enrik fall to the ground with a heavy nosebleed. His nose definitely broken!

Enrik covers his nose with a hand as he quickly rolled up into a stance. Still a little unstable on his legs, he spits out blood from his mouth.

I turn my whole body towards him and make a backhand swing at him, he staggers back avoiding my swing in the prosses. Falling back to back with the cave wall, now with nowhere to run. I expand my deformed claws, take a step forward as I slice towards his face.

Stone, dirt, and moss get scattered as my claws strike the cave wall. My hand got stuck, I could not dislodge it as I was incapable of drawing out enough strength.

There was no blood spilled, instead, I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach area from my bond as I hear a chattering sound.

Looking down I see Enrik crouched low with both his hands trying to penetrate my stomach with one of the two daggers. I hear the chards of Enrik's broken blade -Broken by overuse and abuse- echoing, for every piece that hits the ground!

Now only left with a single dagger of the previous two. Enrik looks at me from underneath and I at him from above.

It's was as if times slowed down, as seconds felt like minutes. Enrik eyes go to my right side where three more of his daggers was lodge into my armor from the previous battle. He reaches for one of them, as he got his hand on one he tries to dislodge it. Unfortunately for him they were melded stuck, almost fused to my armor. His pale face got ever so paler as he realized his miss calculation.

Then, with a swoop I grab the stunned human by the neck with my free hand, raising him up high in the air.

His legs flailing as with both his hands he tries to dislodge mine from his neck. My claw-like fingers digging slightly into his neck, drawing blood.

"Ar... er... erk...!" [Enrik]

I can clearly see how he struggles to gain air, as his pale face starts to gain a tint of blue.

Trying desperately to get free, even trying to use his sole dagger to cut and stab my armored arm. But to no avail.

'You will not get through with that measly strength!' [Keeper]

Soon the human will be dead, as his movements slowly started to slow down.

"Je... Jenkins!" [Enrik]

Until finally, his whole body went limp.

"NO~!" [???]

A high pitched voice screams and I can feel something tangling around my neck, strangling me.

I lose my grasp on Enrik as he falls down limp to the ground. I try to dislodge the twig-like limbs which are strangling me with my sole hand. Unaware of an even greater threat to my being, as I felt something being put atop of my head. Now lodged in between the pints of my natural crown.

I try to use my back spikes, but they did not heed my will. I'm unable to reach the assailant in such a close proximity.

The twig-like limbs release from me, as I at the same time dislodge my hand from the wall. Now free to use both hands I turn around.

In front of me stands the masked human, apparently fully restored. The human must have ingested one of those potions before I got here. And then... the masked human made a hand sign with both hands combined.

"Anti-magick! TRIGGER!" [Jenn]

I feel the thing on my head heat up, followed by my armor turning and twisting. I could feel the pain as the armor continued to move uncontrollably.

I heard an unknown voice screaming in my head. Then the crackling sound, followed by the armor burst in several directions away from my body.

Leaving me without any defense, standing in my birthday suit.

My glistening gray skin covered in sweat, blood and several bruises. Open wounds all over my body with chunks of meat missing in several areas and three daggers imbued in my side.

No normal entity would be able to survive the amount of damage I had taken, yet... we had.

Naked and confused I feel one after another the daggers getting yanked out of my body, as I in the same motion gets three consecutive stabs straight through my heart. As the human danced the dance of death.

The masked human had stabbed me in my heart!

Or at least where it thought my heart where. Unfortunate for the masked human, It was ineffective, did I even have one? Should I not be dead?

I use both my arms to entangle the human in a bear hug, squeezing hard around its ribs as I hear the cracking sound of their bones breaking.

"Arrrgh!" [Jenn]

The dark rituals power has been depleted! Time left: 00:00:01

Jenn Pov:

I was struggling inside the boss grasp, as the pain of my breaking ribs ravages my whole body. I thought I was done for when suddenly the boss started to disintegrate in front of my eyes.

Turning to dust, letting me and the daggers fall freely to the ground. The impact shook my core as the pain of my broken ribs, made me lose my breath.

*Thump!, Cling!, Cling!, Cling!*

I unsteadily stood up gasping for air and shugged my one and only potion. Then I hurriedly went to Enrik's side. This old man's windpipe seems to be crushed, but as I laid my ear against his mouth I could hear soft wheezing. He was breathing!

I hurriedly looked through his adventure bag.

Some fruits and nuts, a dried leaf from some tree, a broken arrowhead missing a piece and one pricy potion!

I tried to administrate the potion. But Enrik was unable to swallow it alone because of the damage made to his neck and throat.

I stopped for a second knowing all too well what I had to do... I had to administrate it orally!

'I have no guide and I won't be able to survive alone down here, I need him!' [Jenn] I thought in my head.

With my reasoning, I had made my decision.

I took off my mask which revealed my short hazelnut brown hair and yellow eyes. Then I took a mouth full of the potion and pressed my rosy pink lips against Enrik's. The taste of iron mixed with the mundane potion filled my taste glands as I let the potion flow into and down his throat. Immediately the potion came into effect, starting to heal his broken neck.

Thank the holy mother, but now what?

Logically thinking there is only one way to go since our retreat is blocked. The stuck pill bug makes a shrieking noise as it tries to thug free, making my heart skip an extra beat. There is only one way to go. Back towards Maleck's base of operation. The truly final boss!

I took Enrik with one of his arms over my shoulder, he was just barely conscious as we started to walk further inside again. I noted a cave imp clinging to the ceiling like a spider, observing us. But he quickly scuttled away as he noticed my gaze.

Entering the pitch dark oval room, without a light source. I had to walk around the edge of the room, letting the wall guide us to the door.

As soon as we got close enough we could see the red color of the door and the metallic doorknob. I laid my hand on the doorknob and twisted it, as the knob made a click as the door became unlocked.

I open the door, as an unnaturally bright light from within blinds my oversensitive eyes as something green swiftly passes under my legs as it screams.

"RuUuUuUn!" [Trash]

When my eyes finally adjust, inside the room. My eyes widen as I beheld what was inside and I felt a force of mana coming at me and Enrik as the ground below us lit up. No time to evade!

Narrator POV:

One hour earlier. Inside the old mage study.

The old mage sat at one of his numeral tables with several books wide open. So many books had been collected on the said table, that a mountain of books had been created. Beside him, on the floor with a book under his head, a small exhausted goblin was sleeping still with books in hand which he had been supposed to deliver to the old mage.

How many hours had past since he had started? Not even the mage himself knew. The mage's hunger had already gone past the point of a growling hunger and he didn't even feel it anymore. His eyes were heavy, but he still continued reading as he skimmed through the book.

"No! not this one either." [Maleck]

He left the book upon the pile and bent down to take another and repeated the prosses. After a few books, when he reached down to take another one up. A thunk, of a head hitting the floor was heard.

"Ouf!" [Trash]

The mage did not concern himself, opened the book and continue to read.

"Trash! Get your master some purple leaf tea!" [Maleck]

He said without looking away from the book. The little goblin still drowsy turned around on the floor and tried to get more sleep. This was not unnoticed by the mage, as he aimed a free hand towards the goblin and flicked two of his fingers. A gust of wind appeared from nothingness and caught the gobbling, throwing it up in the air across the room until the goblin hit the wall close to a wooden crate. With a burner and a pot atop, just the right height for a goblin to use.

"Ouf!" [Trash]

Hurting a bit and rubbing his sore spot, the goblin stood up and said nothing to his master. Knowing all to well that if he did, then a light pain in his side would not be the last of it. Instead, he took the pot and went over to a barrel of water. Where a stool stood next to. Which he climbed up upon, dunking the pot into the barrel of water. Filling the pot as the air escaped. He also took a handful of water for himself to quench his thirst. The taste of rock and dust still lingering on his tongue.

As the last bubble popped on the surface the goblin retrieved the pot and climbed down from the stool. He went to the burner and turned it on. Remembering to be careful of the biting red and blue, which would turn his green skin black if he touches it. After placing the pot above the fire he drowsily and with a big jawn went over to a white box with a golden hook which kept it shut.

The goblin opens the box, forgetting the stinging smell that would attack his beautiful big nose. Hurridly covering his poor nose with both his hands, he then freed one to quickly pick two of the purple leaves and shuts the box again.

Now only the smell of the purple ones remains, but it was no better than all of them combined. The goblin thought that the smell was similar to the spraying feces of the black and white hairball from the woods. He could not understand how humans could drink something like this.

The goblin put the leaves into the pot as the see-through water turned a tint of purple. After a few minutes, he poured the tea from the pot into a chipped cup. But as he put back the pot on the now turned off burner, something unusual happened.

Looking down into the now filled chipped cup. He could see small ripples forming and then disappearing. It was odd, the tea had never done that before, no matter the leaf!

"Trash! What is taking so long? Tea now!" [Maleck]

The little goblin scampered -in between and under the furniture- to his master with the tea, spilling a few drops on the way. When he reached his master's side he presented the cup.

The Mage received the cup and took a sip of it.

"Ah! Oh! Hot!... But that hit the spot. " [Maleck]

The mage said with an invigorated and relaxed voice.

Before he had the time to order the goblin to fetch him another book the goblin had already gone to retrieve one. He heard a crash as something fell.

"iiiip!" [Trash]

Confounded the mage looked in the direction of the noise to see the goblin returning with a book in hand. In the background was a tilted table where tools for magic had been, but now was on the floor.

The mage looked with a glare at the goblin, now at his side presenting him with a red leather book with a light brown leather strap sealing it.

The Mage memory served him well and he remembered using the said book as a leg stabilizer for the table which now stood tilted again. He took the book and blew the dust off. Making the small goblin cough.

The mage studied the red leather book. Engraved in the leather, -as if trying to pop out or break free- a face portraying agony was seen. The old Mage memories were not complete about this book. It had been a weird one and by what memories he had there was only false theories and impossible facts inside this book.

He was about to discard it when a thug of curiosity caught him. He was searching for something, something he had seen before. But his memories could not quite pinpoint. Where had he seen it? Could it have been in this book? No? It couldn't... Right?

Dreed started filling him. As he unwinded the leather strap.

On the first page, he saw a skull, but his memories for the first time in his life had betrayed him. As last time he had seen a completely human skull and that he had been certain of. With the words "End of the era" written in an ancient language beneath.

But this time it was not a human skull as to represent death or a warning. Instead, something very familiar to him was on this page. Someone he closely knew.

"It can't be... Keeper!?" [Maleck]

In the picture instead of a normal humanoid skull. Was instead a skull with bones growing out from atop of its head, forming a natural bone crown. Its mouth lined with fangs that looked similar to vampires and inside of its eye sockets were two glowing red orbs, This was unmistakable the skull of the beeing he had born into this world with ritual and magick.

The mage fanatically started to search through the book and there it was.

The insignia!

The insignia of a trueborn dungeon. He flipped through some more pages. Several words, standing out like a sore thumb. "The ancient", "dungeon sigil.", "Primordial Dungeons!", "Devourer of Souls!", "Awakening of true evil!", "Demon Lord!" and lastly "When only one stands, the world shall fall!"

He could not decipher the meaning of the last phrase. But to go so far as to compare this Dungeon Lord to a Demon Lord. A level ten difficulty classification, no! A Demon Lord was worse. A demon lord was world-threatening!

A calamity so great that kingdoms would stop fighting, needing the full power of all the neighboring countries to face! Even then the chances were slim. Usually, countries would collect any S-Rank adventurer to go on an extermination crusade or go to the extent of summoning heroes from another world with forbidden rituals. The champions said to be even stronger than all the S-Rank adventurers combined.

This was ludicrous to the Mage. It was not conceivable. How had this come to be?

He continued flipping pages until he found what he needed: "Dungeon Heart", the weakness of the dungeon.

That's when something odd happened, for the second time this hour. The book started to shake uncontrollably and slammed shut. With unnatural calm, the mage watched the engraved face move and shake on the cover. the face miming with its mouth. As a voice filled his and the goblins heads.

"Wise-man! You are a fool! Your doom is already upon you!" [¿?]

The goblin had in fright hid under the table. But the mage was deep in thoughts, why he could not feel any mana coming from the book.

But got no time to go further into it, as he noticed in the corner of his eye. Ripples forming in his chipped cup of purple tea.

Then the mage felt an ominous presence enclosing to his barrier around his room [Territory "room"]. As a defining earthquake shook the room.

The mountains of books fell off the table, the pot together with several other tools, fell off their places. Coaching down onto the stone floor. The goblin was screaming in fear.

Then it stopped.

"What, that!?" [Trash]

The mage had retrieved the chipped cup by instinct saving it from the calamity. He could not feel the ominous presence anymore. Had he been mistaken?

Then he saw the ripples form in the tea again -still in hand- as a cracking sound was heard from beneath the ground. He could feel his [Territory "room"] getting breached and broken.

Several sleek black treads the size of logs shot up randomly in the room. As the mage took to [flight] with his magic letting his shipped cup fall to the ground, breaking.

Maleck's Pov:

As the dungeon hearts treads shot up into the room I had taken evasive actions. My study was big enough to handle a mages battle strategy and abilities. I would know, I designed it. I used either my wind or fire magic. Conjuring up thin air blades or fire to burn or slice the treads. But they where ineffective. Not even a scratch was left on the strings. A string broke through from above. Aiming for my person. I avoided and it struck the ground staying in place. This was not to my advantage. The more strings the less space to move. Even high up in the rooftop of the room, it would just break through from above instead. I was surrounded in all senses. I had to use my trump card!

Conjuring magic in each hand, wind in one and fire in the next. I chanted my greatest spell, the pinnacle of my magic.[Multicast]!

Multicast Capable of casting two spells at the same time, normally impossible.

Strings kept breaking in through the roof or ground. Less and less space was movable in. It was like looking through a forest of black trees. I bearly registered the scream of Trash as he was running around like a headless chicken. To occupied whit, the numeral treads, breaching the room. Eventually one shipped my [mage shield] and I felt my mana drain in a proportion to the damage taken. It was a frightening loss, these black threads were not normal! Alarms were going off inside of my mind.

My chant reached it last rhyme. And instead of continuing I changed the chant into a magic chain [Magic combination]!

Magic Combination Only capable with two compatible elements. Will combining the two into something far stronger than one alone. With unknown destructive powers.

Two more strings broke through, this time both from the roof and the ground as if pincer attacking on me. But I was still in [Flight] and was able to move three-dimensionally. Evading! But because of the now very cramped space, I collided with an already set string and felt my mana depleted. No! It couldn't be!

I was trapped and new strings were coming at me. I just in time activated my trump card, the greatest spell in my arsenal [Nova]! The wind combining with the flame and created what looked like a miniature sun. Now formed in between my two hands. But not long after it busted into a flaming inferno which I release. Pumping mana into my [mage shield] in an attempt to save myself from the devastating heat.

"No!" [Maleck]

Instead of the devastating destruction, I had expected. My greatest spell [Nova] got extinguished, the flames disappearing into thin air. No, it had been absorbed by the threads. I felt a thread collide directly with my [mage shield] as it broke under the pressure. The tread consuming me whole.

I had lost consciousness for a second but woke up by the screech of Trash

"RuUuUuUuN!" [Trash]

From my shackled position, I saw the door to my study wide open and two humans. One with an arm around the other which carried him. Standing at the entrance looking shocked at what was inside. One a pale half-elf, the other a beauty with golden eyes.

This was my only opportunity!

I had bearly any mana left... this was not in my field and it might kill me in the prosses... But someone had to stop it... someone has to stop my creation! My mistake!

I chanted the spell of [teleportation] as the humans reacted to the mana flowing at them. Then an area around them lit up as they both disappeared in blue particles.

"I don't even know where I sent them... I... hope... they~" [Maleck]

In the last seconds of my consciousness plagued with mana drain sickness. I could feel the tread tremble and I hear a familiar voice in my head scream, as I with a final effort made a grin!

Chapter 10, Book 1 End.