-[Chapter 005]-

“~Fwaaah!” Elnora let off a sigh of relief as she slipped beneath the warm waters of the pool. She was tired beyond words and the rejuvenating properties of the bathhouse facilities were exactly what she needed after her admittedly brief, but fierce battle with the intruders. The succubus relaxed her body and let the magical spring waters tend to her injuries. It was a rare moment of peace and quiet for the dungeon keeper’s young apprentice and she made sure to savor it.

When she finally opened her eyes, Elnora found herself surrounded by the pearl white room of the bathhouse. Hot steam lingered in the air and turned to condensation as it touched the marble tiles covering the walls. It was a luxurious facility available only to the highest ranking minions and commanders of Basil’s forces. There was even a fully stocked bar counter in the corner of the room, but there was currently no servant manning it.

Yes, life was good for the loyal minions of the dark lord. All things considered, being bad carried with it some damn good perks and pleasures. And the company was just to die for.

“Oh my, I did not expect this place to be occupied at this late hour,” someone said.

Elnora looked to the entrance of the dressing room and found a tall, blonde woman standing in the doorway. She wasn’t a succubus like herself, but the Nine Hells be damned if the woman’s appearance didn’t give the legendary demons of seduction a run for their money.

“Lady Scarlet, I didn’t know that you had booked this pool,” Elnora said. “Do you want me to—”

“No, no,” the gorgeous woman said. “Who am I to disturb you after such a fierce battle? I believe you have earned this moment of rest. No fight is truly over until you have fully recovered from it.”

Elnora made a mental note of her off-handed advice.

“Mind if I join you?” Scarlet asked. She fixed up the white towel around her chest and stepped into the room.

Elnora felt a sudden surge of envy as she watched the bath towel desperately struggle to keep itself from bursting open at the seams as the woman approached her. Scarlet climbed down into the pool and sat down opposite to Elnora. There was easily enough room for half a dozen other patrons, but for now it would only be shared by the two of them.

“I heard that you faced off against the intruders at the steps of the throne,” Scarlet remarked.

“I did,” Elnora admitted.

“I heard that you almost died,” Scarlet continued. Her dispassionate tone almost seemed to convey a sense of contempt or belittlement, but the fair skinned woman’s look implied nothing but casual interest. It was probably her best attempt at holding a conversation with someone far weaker and less experienced than her.

“I—did…” Elnora admitted. She reached behind her back and felt the scar that marked her injury. Thanks to means both magical and medicinal it would soon all but disappear, but the memory of her wound would remain. Not that she held the slightest desire to erase it. No, Elnora was determined to follow up on Basil’s advice and to learn from her mistakes. The foolish kith were indeed dangerous opponents, even if they did not know how futile their resistance was in the end.

Scarlet shrugged. “You got lucky, you know,” she said. “If our Young Master hadn’t intervened in the fight when he did… Well, your little apprenticeship would have been concluded at the point of a sword.”

Young Master, Elnora thought. Scarlet was a servant to house Doom long before Basil came to power.

Much like the dungeon keeper himself, the golden-haired woman was a creature possessing the [Legendary] distinction—a testament to her overwhelming power. Scarlet was one of the few high-level minions that had chosen to remain in service to house Doom after its old master disappeared.

Why did the others leave? Elnora wondered. Why did she stay?

During her brief apprenticeship under Lord Basil, Elnora had only ever talked to the woman in passing. From what she had gathered, Scarlet with her warriors and healers served as the right hand of Lord Doom, while the left hand belonged to Schwartz and his clan of rangers and rogues. Elnora found their method of dividing the recruits for their forces a little odd, with women exclusively serving under one and men under the other, but she could recognize that in this particular case it seemed to be working.

Clad in splendid armor and brandishing their holy spells and abilities with almost divine grace, Scarlet’s followers ranked among the finest of paladins, clerics and priests that Elnora had ever seen. Aside from commanding and supporting their master’s minions in the field, it was their task to protect the secret part of the dungeon—the pocket dimension that housed the Doom Mansion. It was a miniature world in its own right. The arcane realm of the Doom Mansion contained the facilities and wonders that the inhabitants of the worlds that they pillaged were never meant to see; facilities that supported the daily life of the household during and in-between conquests.

Her encounter with Scarlet had come as a surprise, but it also presented a learning opportunity for the young succubus. Elnora had so many questions that she would have liked to ask, yet none felt justified given the immense difference in their status and experience. Still, Scarlet had kept quiet for a while now, so Elnora took it upon herself to dispel the awkward silence that was beginning to set in.

“Aren’t you a little disappointed with how things turned out during the conquest of this world?” Elnora asked.

“Why do you ask?” the woman replied. “Do you know of something that I should be dissatisfied with?”

Elnora was a low-level minion—almost nothing when measured against the venerated warrior sitting opposite to her—so the young succubus was starting to feel the pressure of having to live up to her temporary position of competence as Basil’s apprentice. Out in the dungeon, where the other minions were all in equal standing to her or subservient, Elnora had felt comfortable, but the old guard, like Scarlet, who rarely ventured forth from Doom Mansion, all seemed so overwhelming; so age old and outright superior to her in every way.

The succubus picked her next words carefully. “Well, unless I am mistaken, you never got to fight anything on this campaign,” she said. “We have been waging war on this world for almost seven months now, but you have hardly left the Mansion in all that time.”

Scarlet shrugged. “I have taken part in hundreds of such campaigns of subjugation,” she said. “The mere promise of bloodshed no longer thrills me.” The woman raised her hand and examined the shimmering water droplets as they trickled down her smooth skin. There was a sense of longing in her expression. “I am always looking for a good challenge, but this world has failed to provide one.”

“Surely Maiden Solar herself would have made for a fitting foe,” Elnora suggested. “The Guild considered her an important enough target to single her out for extermination.”

Scarlet did not seem impressed by the mention of the holy elemental. “It is my personal opinion that the subjugation of this world was a waste of our potential,” she declared. “From the moment we first set our eyes upon the armies of Empire Solar, I could tell that they possessed no warrior worthy of my time and effort. And, given how their assault on the core turned out today, I guess I was proven right.”

“Not even the heroes, Aidan and Nadia?” Elnora asked.

The woman scoffed at the mention of the twins. “Don’t take it the wrong way,” Scarlet said, “but they couldn’t even kill you. We both know that it had less to do with your power than it did with their weakness. Personally, I would not have given Aidan the dignity of a warrior’s death that Lord Basil afforded him.” A glint of cruelty flashed in her expression. “Even their golden goddess turned out to be a pushover. They always are…”

Countered at every point thus far, Elnora decided to try and shift the topic of the conversation. Clearly, Scarlet was not impressed by the efforts of their enemies.

“It’s been too long since I have faced a proper challenge,” Scarlet lamented. A hint of bloodlust flashed in her eyes as she licked her teeth, no doubt fantasizing about glorious combat with a worthy foe. Her lustful expression faded as quickly as it had first appeared and the venerable warrior sighed in resignation to her predicament. “Sadly, I don’t get to pick my battles these days,” she said. “Where goes the Young Master, so does the Mansion. And I am obligated to follow.”

“Surely there must be ancient elder dragons or elemental lords in some distant part of this world,” Elnora suggested. “As a warrior, don’t you feel like you should have been out there, looking for a fight? I am sure that Basil—”

“Lord Basil,” Scarlet corrected her. “And no, I am not a slave to my baser instincts.” She looked down at the bubbling waters. “Not anymore.

“Besides, there are plenty of powerful creatures here in the Mansion upon whom I can take out my frustrations,” she said. “If I ever desire a proper challenge, I just call on Schwartz for a round of friendly sparring.”

Scarlet cracked her fingers for dramatic effect. “One of these days it’s not going to end in a draw. One day—”

“One of you is going to end up dead,” a man’s voice declared. “Now wouldn’t that be a shame. Would break the Young Master’s heart, it would, to lose one of his best minions over such a silly old grudge…”

The two women looked to the bar counter in the corner of the room and found an old man in a jet-black suit standing behind it. Omnipresent within the pocket dimension of the Mansion, Chronos was the manager, master and commander of its many servants and facilities. Neither the succubus nor the veteran warrior beside her had noticed him enter, but now that he had made his presence known they both made sure to better cover up their bodies.

Elnora had grown accustomed to him appearing wherever and whenever he pleased within the Mansion, but never without a good reason or some task to manage. Even so, his sudden arrival in this secluded space warranted an explanation in her mind.

“Oh, dear ladies,” Chronos said, “please, don’t mind my sudden intrusion. I assure you that I have not come here to try and sneak a peek at your timeless beauty.”

The old geezer’s wrinkled face was partially hidden behind a set of thick, bushy eyebrows that completely covered up his eyes. An equally impressive mustache, reminiscent of a worn-out broom head, covered the lower half of his face. The top of his head was bald with a horseshoe shaped mop of a hairline running all the way around, though it never quite connected with the bushy brows of the old butler.

“Miss Scarlet, need I remind you that picking fights with Mister Schwartz is strictly forbidden within the premises of the Mansion?” Chronos asked. “It is our Master’s desire that we should focus our efforts on mending past mistakes, not go about tearing up old wounds. And beside the point, you really should not be discussing such sensitive House matters in the presence of a Guild operative…”

“Ugh. It’s hard enough to bear his constant presence as it is,” Scarlet complained, “but the sight of you defending that smug bastard is enough to make my skin crawl.”

“I am taking no sides in your personal matters,” Chronos pointed out. “My only desire is to make sure that the peace is kept within the Mansion’s grounds. We wouldn’t want to impede our master’s important work with our petty squabbles, now would we?”

Scarlet growled in disappointment.

“And speaking of impediments,” Chronos said and looked to Elnora. “I heard that you got a little roughed up by those nasty intruders. Are you feeling any better, my dear? Did our doctors manage to put everything back together? Such lovely ladies they are, always so kind and gentle with their patients.”

“I am feeling fine,” Elnora said. The succubus once more touched her back where Aidan’s sword had struck her. She made a show of brushing her hand over the scar as if to dismiss the very idea that it still bothered her.

“Now, now, don’t be so modest,” Chronos said. “You risked your life in defense of the dungeon. Surely, such dedication merits a reward.”

The old butler went rummaging through the shelves of the bar counter until he found the right ingredients for the cocktail he had in mind. “Here, I will make you something to help speed up the recovery,” he said and began working a drink shaker. “This potion is a time-tested remedy for muscle aches and joint pains. Should do just fine for your predicament as well…”

“You do know that you are not allowed in here,” Scarlet commented. “If the old witch finds out—”

“Nah, nah, nah…” the geezer cackled. “She doesn’t need to know that I was here.”

He turned his head towards Elnora. “You wouldn’t go around tattling on an old man simply looking for a moment of respite from his hard day’s work, now would you?”

Elnora shrugged and gave the old butler a cheeky smile.

“I merely wish to point out that it is not a good idea to hide from your jealous wife in the female bathhouse,” Scarlet said. “She is curious by nature and she knows your deviant tastes all too well. She will come looking for you here sooner rather than later.”

“And I know that I have enough time,” Chronos answered. “Trust me, she won’t find out I was here.”

The geezer finished mixing the cocktail and poured it into a tall glass. He then added a tiny paper umbrella and a couple of fruit slices for decoration. With the drink in hand, Chronos shuffled his way around the bar counter and approached the two women.

“Thank you,” Elnora said as the old butler handed her the glass.

“And nothing for me?” Scarlet asked, playing up her indignation.

“I am already on it,” Chronos said and gestured towards the bar counter. A second Chronos blinked into existence and set about mixing a drink for Scarlet.

“How many times can you do that?” Elnora asked out of curiosity.

“All the time,” Chronos answered. “Any time, really, as long as there is enough time.”

“But isn’t it confusing to be at two places at once?” Elnora asked.

“Not at all, my dear,” Chronos replied. “As long as you know yourself well enough that you can trust the body doubles, everything will be fine. Better than fine, even!

“At this very moment I am supervising our cooks in the kitchens, picking out fresh produce together with suppliers and sampling the newest batch of whiskey in our breweries. Within this tiny pocket dimension I can make time for everything I need.

“Would be a tad bit harder to keep such a large operation running outside the Mansion,” he added and smiled. Granted, only the corners of his mouth could be seen as the gray moustache covered up the rest. “Some magic abilities benefit more from being concentrated within a limited amount of space than others.”

“I don’t suppose you came here just to entertain us with idle chatter,” Scarlet remarked as she was handed her drink by the second avatar of Chronos. The picture-perfect copy of the butler bowed to her before blinking out of existence.

“Indeed,” Chronos said and turned to Elnora. “Truth be told, I came to deliver a message from the Young Master. He has invited you to join him in his study at your earliest leisure.”

Elnora looked like she was about to jump to her feet when the old butler raised his hand to stop her.

“No need to hurry, my dear,” he said and waved for the over-eager succubus to settle back down. “The Young Master has a lot of paperwork to fill out right now. I am pleased to say that with our campaign against Empire Solar almost concluded, he has decided to petition for an immediate withdrawal of our forces. You should probably give him a moment longer to finish his work.”

“Ugh! Finally,” Scarlet exclaimed in relief. She submerged herself beneath the warm water of the pool up to her chin. “We have been stuck on this world for far too long. I can’t wait to see some real action. I hope that we get to travel to some apocalypse-stricken place next. At least the creatures there might be worth fighting.”

Elnora did not share in her jubilation. “So, it means that Lord Basil will soon announce our victory,” she said.

“Indeed,” Chronos confirmed. “Once the capital city falls we will leave the scouring of the realm for the appropriate Guild agencies to handle. It is a laborious task and not really worth our time to try and flush out every last stronghold. Lesser agents can handle that work.”

“Then the dungeon will be abandoned soon,” Elnora said.

“Not soon enough,” Scarlet remarked.

As Scarlet rose up from the bath to take a sip from her drink in celebration, Elnora wished for nothing more than to disappear below the warm embrace of the healing waters. The news of their imminent departure filled her with sorrow, as she knew that it would mark the end of her apprenticeship under House Doom. More than that, it spelled an end to her working relationship with Basil, which is something that she couldn’t help but to feel deeply bitter about.

Chronos tried to console the disheartened succubus. “I am sure that the Guild will find you an adequate posting after this campaign is over,” he said. “It is this old butler’s humble opinion that you did an exceptional job managing the day to day life of the dungeon. As an assistant dungeon keeper, you have shown yourself to be dependable and full of promise.

“Lord Basil will surely reflect kindly upon your work in his report to the Guild. His endorsement should carry enough weight for you to get a nice position within the organization. Who knows, maybe in a few years you will be running your own little operation.”

“I know that I should be looking forward to a promotion,” Elnora said, “but I really don’t want to be doing anything else right now.

“The last six months have been the best time of my life. Running the dungeon for Lord Doom, managing the tasks that he entrusted me with…” Her gaze trailed off as she recalled the experience.

Chronos sighed. “All things worth having can only be had for a limited time,” he said. “Forward motion is very important in the Guild, so you would only do your career harm by asking for a second apprenticeship.”

Elnora’s expression was one of utter defeat.

“Listen, sister,” Scarlet said, “I know that you like the Young Master—”

“I don’t!” Elnora rushed to object. “I mean, I do, but—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Scarlet swatted away her feeble excuses. “Listen, Lord Basil is a great dungeon keeper and I am sure that he is every young and impressionable she-demon’s dream, but you just have to accept the fact that he is not interested in you. Or anyone else, for that matter…

“When all is said and done, our Lord is a single minded and simple creature, which is how it should be. Like any other dungeon keeper out there, he seeks only conquest and glory—that is their purpose in life. There can be no other distractions.”

“Hmm…” Chronos growled in a tone that conveyed mild skepticism. “Well, I can think of a certain someone who did pursue a distraction of sorts.”

Scarlet scoffed. “And do you remember where it got us?” she asked. “If not for that damned distraction, I bet that our old master would still be with us and we would be out there, killing gods and blitzing worlds by the hundreds.”

“Enough complaining,” Chronos said. “You made your decision to remain in service to House Doom long ago and I expect you to abide by it. Or should I go and tell Mister Schwartz that you have thrown in the towel?”

Scarlet emptied her glass in response to Chonos’ suggestion, swallowing her pride and a fair bit of fire and fury along with it. “I am not leaving the Mansion first,” she declared. “I will not give him the satisfaction of becoming Basil’s first lieutenant.”

“Then I expect to hear nothing more from you on this matter,” Chronos said.

Scarlet’s reply was as half-hearted as they came. “Fine,” she said through her teeth.

“Who—who was she referring to?” Elnora asked.

Chronos pulled a silver pocket watch from his jacket and checked the time. He then clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Unfortunately I don’t have the time to tell you my dear.”

“The old hag is looking for you, isn’t she?” Scarlet asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Chronos admitted. “And I better not keep her waiting any longer or there will be hell to pay.”

The old butler bowed to the ladies in a parting gesture. He then snapped his fingers and disappeared from sight as suddenly as he had first arrived.

Now that they were once more alone in the bathhouse, Scarlet offered Elnora a piece of feminine advice. “You will get over your crush,” she told her. “You won’t be the first or the last woman to dream of miracles, but notions such as love and passion come from the heart and some creatures simply don’t have one. And if you really want to become a dungeon keeper, you would be wise to cut out yours now, rather than having it torn out later by someone else.”

Those were harsh words to bear for the young demon of lust, but Elnora was determined to hear them out nonetheless.

“Aspirations are fine to have,” Scarlet said. “Just make sure to temper them in reality. You can aim for the sun, if you want, but you will only get burnt. As Basil’s assistant you might have stood close to him for these past few months, but in reality you were always worlds apart. That separation was maintained for your own good.”

Elnora sank even deeper into the waters’ warm embrace.

Scarlet stepped out of the pool and addressed the succubus one last time before departing. “The Young Master is not what he seems,” she said in a tone far too sincere for the hot-blooded warrior, “and this place is nothing like the other dungeons out there. This is the dungeon of Doom. We have a long history and many enemies, both outside the Guild and within its halls. You do not want to get caught up in any of it. Big-league dungeon keeping can get very bloody very fast and there is no love lost between rivals. Anyone is fair game, especially those that stand close to the Master.”

She looked down at the defeated succubus, but this time her gaze held a tint of compassion for her predicament. “You are still young,” Scarlet said, “and you have much to learn of love and war. This is not the time or place to do it. Leave while you still can, because it only gets harder to find your own path in life the longer you stay within these halls—I should know.”

Elnora swallowed her sorrow and popped her head above of the water to venture one last question. “Am I not strong enough for House Doom?” she asked. “I would be willing to do anything to live up to your standards! Is there any way that I could ever prove myself to you people? I really want to stay…”

The golden haired warrior scoffed. “You’re asking a simple question, but the answer is beyond your comprehension,” she said. “None of us; not me, not Chronos,” she gritted her teeth as she spoke the dark ranger’s name, “and not even that bastard Schwartz can tell you what road to take. Truth be told, half the time we can’t even find the words to explain how we got here or why we remain. All that we know for sure is that the Young Master keeps us here; he gives our lives a meaning; a sense of belonging… And without him,” she frowned. “Well, that is the kind of desperate dependence that you do not want to become a part of, girl.”

Scarlet reconsidered the position of the succubus. “If nothing else, you have proven yourself capable enough that I have bothered to learn your name. By now most creatures in the Mansion have—most that matter, anyway. That’s an accomplishment you can pin to your chest. Be proud of it, but don’t stick around looking for a pat on the head. Get out while you still can. Get out before this place swallows you up. The rabbit hole goes too deep, sister, and it only goes one way. You’ll figure out the right questions eventually, but you won’t like the answers you will discover…”

Having said her piece Scarlet made her exit. Her parting words left a cold chill running down Elnora’s spine. The succubus finished her drink and once more dove beneath the warm waters of the pool to try and rid herself of that unpleasant sensation.