Shank stared with wide eyes as this man... no, this dungeon lord seemed to spare the Big Boss, only to sick a pair of ravenous, ghoul-like zombies on him. That bloodied wrist to them must have been like tossing bloody meat into shark infested waters. Even had he escaped those two and left the dungeon he had mentioned more roaming the fort. The pig knew full well Big Boss was doomed.
Alexander sighed flexing his skeletal hand before looking at the demonic pig, "Last chance. Is it possible for a dungeon lord to lay claim to a second dungeon that is not their own. Your answer determines wether you live or die."
Shank shuddered beneath the skeletons, its mass seemingly deflating under impending death, its normally loud shrill voice was barely a whisper, "You can."
Alexander's eyes narrowed, "How?"
The pig whimpered tilting its head to the core, "Touch the core and infuse your energy into the crystal, you have to conquer its power with your own. For my dungeon it should not take much, it's hardly developed. Were it a very complex, multi floor dungeon, the core would consume YOU." There was no changing the fact they lost, hiding the truth of the matter from one that would become his new master would simply be stupid.
Alexander nodded and turned to regard the slumped over Laytalya. "What becomes of the existing dungeon lord when a core is taken like this?"
Shank sighed looking to his pitiable Mistress, "She becomes one of your minions, in essence a slave. She'll still be herself but if you command her through your power she'd have to obey, even if that order was to walk into the mouth if a volcano."
Alexander nodded, he could live with that. Walking to the core he touched his skeletal hand to its surface, almost instantly the pink pulsing crystal was infused with a shadowy energy, spreading out from his boney palm this darkness snaked rapidly through the crystal, the pink pulsing staggered as darkness swept through the material until, five minutes later, the entire column looked like an onyx pillar. Removing his hand his body sagged, it felt like the time he over cast, his body was severely drained, and this was a dungeon with a solitary upgrade, what kind of energy would be needed to take his current dungeon?
As he was contemplating the differences in conquest energy a shimmering bone door appeared by the core and a busty leather clad succubus hurtled through to wrap up Alexander in an oxygen depriving hug. It felt good, but smooshed into her tits was not what he wanted his tombstone to read after conquering his first opposing dungeon. "Masterrrrr you've been busy! I've missed you soooooo bad...!!!"
Jansea was crushing him in her arms before releasing and looking around, noticing a pile up of skeletons she gasped, "The Imperical Pig Lord!"
Shank groaned, "Oh of course Master would enlist you first you bimbo brained hussy."
Jansea smiled evilly unveiling Ignatius from her hip, the skeletal warriors wisely parting before her advance as succubus and hell pig stared each other down in fury. To Alexander it was clear these two knew each other. "Alright knock it off you two. What happens next?"
Jansea frowned curling her fire snake whip back onto her hip, "Depends if you want to run another dungeon Master, these two core rooms are now connected, you could develop this dungeon much like your home is developed."
Alexander thought a bit before saying, "I sense an or coming."
Jansea smiled, "Yes Master, you can drain this dungeon energy into your own. Such will 'kill' this dungeon but drastically improve ours."
Nodding to Shank and Laytalya, Alexander asked, "What happens to them?"
Jansea smiled toothily at Shank, "Keep'em or butcher them. I suggest that latter option for this fat greasy pig."
Shank snorted, "Better he butcher you you brain dead harlot. Master, I am the Imperical Hell Pig, named by Laytalya as Shank. Unlike that lusty floozy I am a guardian that assists a lord with tactics, I am simply too valuable as a dungeon seneshal to be simply butchered."
Alexander left the two demons moving over to Laytalya draining the energy that kept her from awakening, he hoped that feigning death for several handfuls of minutes wouldn't lead to brain damage. The woman blinked sitting up from her slouched position and looked around. Seeing Alexander and beyond him Shank and a red skinned leather clad woman with wings she turned to face front. Exhaling slowly she closed her eyes, "I'm fucked aren't I?"
Alexander chuckled, "Depends how you view it Laytalya, I'm a better boss than that idiot from the Gray Smokes."
Laytalya shook her head, tears rimming her eyes, "Shank told me, heroes come to slay dungeon lords not employ them, to destroy the dungeon means I'm gonna die. I don't want to die yet."
Alexander walked around and squat down before the tearful young woman, she flinched as his skeletal hand lifted hers, "I'm not a hero Laytalya, I'm a dungeon lord like you. I have options, one of which I already took. To be frank, you're no longer a dungeon lord."
Laytalya's eyes flew open looking at him, her gaze was like a lost child being given a single rope of a chance to pull herself from certain doom, "I'm not?"
Alexander shook his head, "I have claimed your dungeon, everything in it is mine now."
Laytalya felt fresh tears in her eyes, wetness trailing down her dark cheeks and dripped from her chin onto her thighs, "That includes me too doesn't it?"
Alexander nodded looking into her eyes, "Which is worse, servitude or death? At least the former you will have the chance to live your life and be free to an extent. The latter is rather final. Or not..."
Three forms shuffled out of the smog, Laytalya gasped covering her mouth as she recognized the ravaged zombie in the middle trailing behind the other two as Big Boss. The other two had torn him apart, there literally was nothing from his crotch to just below his empty ribcage, just ragged skin and a bloodied spine keeping his torso and legs connected. Every bit of organ and meat had been torn from his body. Alexander glanced back, "After all, I AM a necromancer, serving willingly or serving in death, really is the same for me."
Laytalya broke down sobbing in terror, her previous life was bad to be sure. Hooked on the pipeweed selling herself to that bastards gang for her fixes, it truly wasn't a life. But would this be any better? The sheer thought of those zombies coming after her shook her to the core, she trembled and sobbed letting all the sorrow of the last year and half escape her body. She wasn't the brightest person, she'd never be a scholar or mage but she knew enough that Alexander's servitude would not even have the bliss of the pipeweed to mask her senses.
"I don't exactly have a choice do I?"
Alexander shrugged helplessly, "Sure you do, it's just debatable on how good those choices are, I'm not a complete monster Laytalya. By the same token I don't run from harder choices, if it's a choice between life or death I will strive to live whatever the cost, cause to be honest, Death is an asshole."
Sighing she wiped at her eyes, looking to him she resigned herself, "So what do you need me to do Master?"
Alexander nodded, "First off Alexander or Alex is fine Laytalya, for what I need you to do is straight forward, be my companion."
Laytalya had unconsciously been reaching for the straps to her armor when she stopped, tilting her head looking at Alexander in disbelief, "You don't want to...?"
Alexander shrugged, "Certainly do but I'm not the level of scum to enslave you just to have you be my whore Laytalya. Won't deny that I do want you in that sense, but I'm not gonna force you if you don't want it as well, I'm a bastard but I'm not that sort of bastard, I still have my pride and some sense of morals. They're just a bit more flexible that others."
Laytalya gaped a bit at that then giggled shaking her head, "Alright then Alex what's the plan?"
Alexander looked to Jansea, "Transfer the energy to our dungeon, I guess that will break this core?"
Jansea and Shank both nodded then snarled at each other before trying to answer in unison, "Yes Master, once the transfer is complete the core will shatter. This door will close, do you need to transfer anything back first?"
Alexander nodded, motioning to the skeletons and their captain to transfer over, they'd supplement the skeletal fighters and hoplite. Glancing to the infectious zombies he shook his head, he had a different plan for them. "Once you and Shank are back home Jansea start the transfer. Laytalya will be with me."
Laytalya looked up, she was surprised she wasn't being carted off to some harem dungeon. Biting her lip she kept from saying anything and fell into step behind Alexander after picking up her sword from the floor by the throne. Shank and Jansea slipped back through the portal before the core nearby pulsed, the dark radiance almost seemed to drain out of the stone. After about six or seven minutes the core shattered, chunks falling all over the floor.
Laytalya watched the death of the core warily but felt a little relieved that despite it crumbling, she was still living. Glancing to Alexander she coughed, "So what's next."
Alexander smiled dismissing the three zombies, ordering them to defend the core chamber before walking towards the exit, "Next we collect the rest of the goblin ears and report a zombie infestation out here. The city can clean the mess up."
Laytalya frowned, "But won't you lose an army of zombies?"
Alexander nodded, "Yes but the reward for the extra ears plus the Intel of a dungeon gone rogue will offset the minor inconvenience of losing thirty odd undead midgets." As he lead her up the passage he continued, "If I send them off, the deaths of the Gray Smokes becomes something they have to investigate, if they died to zombies and pipeweed it doesn't trace back to me. We get the accolades and money, I lose some expendable trash troops. Everyone goes home happy. Well except Big Boss Lestatt and his cronies but honestly someone that arrogant deserved to be chewed."
Laytalya followed after glancing at the smoke rooms they passed, "Can't we take just one with us...?"
Alexander shook his head, "I know withdrawls are gonna suck for you Laytalya but I need you in possession of your right mind, so no pipeweed or whatever else imbibers flaunt in this world."
Laytalya frowned and felt her shoulders slump, but then her head snapped up looking at his back, "This world?! Are you some sort of alien?!"
Alexander chuckled as he sent a silent command to the zombies having the host of undead goblins congregate at the entrance of the fort. "You could say that, I'm not a native of your world at the very least, so yeah, alien does sort of describe me pretty good."
Not elaborating further Alexander busied himself with checking each goblin zombie that arrived, if any had a second ear he was sure to cut one off and tuck it in his bag, hopefully the guild wouldn't differentiate between living goblin ears and zombie goblin ears. Laytalya kept herself well back, no sense tempting fate more than once today. Watching Alexander moving amongst the undead sent a shiver up her back, it took alot of guts to be a necromancer, to have tolerance for what most others would shy well away from.
Walking back over he tossed her the satchel with the trophies, "Let's head back, turn in the ears and report a zombie out break, we should get decent coin."