Throne room? It sounded so pretentious. But I was the dungeon builder. The dungeon master. I was the person who constructed this place.
Controlled it. I had needed a seat of power. I drew in a deep breath. I had a role to play here. I was the final boss. I had to be ready to crush my enemies. If I failed, Lana would die. The will o' wisps would perish.
Souleen would die.
They were counting on me to be strong. I walked with my back straight. I marched faster, pulling ahead of Lana now. I released her hand and threw open the door to my throne room. The large room echoed with my entrance. I mounted the dais and sat on my throne.
The map projection appeared. I stared down at it. I could see all the dots. There was my white dot in the throne room, Lana's gold dot beside me. My will o' wisps were the blue dots, and there in the guard room was two red dots. They had broken through the main doors.
Two dots. Okay. I could handle this. I had six will o' wisps and...
A blue dot winked out. I gasped as I felt Sviesos, my first will o' wisp, die. My hands clenched tight on my armrest. My chest rose and fell.
Power rushed through the maze at her death. The dots in the room moved about. A red one closed on a blue.
Svyte died.
"Shit," I muttered. Their beautiful faces, made of the roiling plasma, danced in my mind. They were so loving and playful. Now they were dying. Anger swelled in me.
Kibir snuffed out.
"Come on," I growled. Lana stood beside me, her arms folded. Lightning crackled from her wings as she ground her teeth together.
A blue dot rushed the red dot from behind. But then she vanished. Zaibas slain. That was four of them.
Over half my will o' wisps were dead. Fury beat in my heart. I ground my teeth together. I didn't make them to die. I made them to protect. To love.
So long as we win this day, Souleen whispered, they can come back. They are made from me. They are pieces your Will and Words shaped, Lord Leo. They can be reborn, but only if you protect me. If you fall...
I swallowed. Gintaras died. Now only Dvasia was left. She didn't last long.
I slammed my fist down on the armrest of my throne. Lana snarled her fury as we watched the red dots move through the maze. They had a few wrong starts, but they found their way through to my trap room.
Would it be enough?
The lightning columns flashed on my screen. They discharged their electric attacks. The two red dots pulled back into the hallway. Maybe it was enough to deal with them. My heart squeezed tight. I wanted to restore my will o' wisps to life. I wanted to have a dungeon where no one attacked. Where we could live peacefully.
The red dots burst back into the room. The lightning columns flashed on the map. One of their icons winked out. Then another. Frustration growled through me. The dots were heading for the door, moving along the side of the room. A column flashed. One dot reeled back.
Then the trap vanished. They moved on, bursting through the exit. They were in the hallway that led here. Fear clenched tight about my heart, fighting with the fury at my home being invaded. My monster girls being dispatched.
"It is time to arm yourself, my lord," Lana said.
I swallowed. I glanced at the corner where my armor lay. Souleen had me make it. I had never worn it. A silver breastplate imbued with crackling lightning. I stood up as Lana went to fetch it.
The red dot had to contend with the final gauntlet of traps. Trapdoors that dropped into pits. One activated. The dot hovered over it for a moment, making it impossible to tell if the enemy was caught or not.
Then the two red dots merged as if one pulled the other free. I sighed.
Lana returned with my breastplate. She held it up for me. I thrust my arms out as she cinched it tight. She worked the straps around it until it fit over my gray robe. I felt like a sorcerer-king with it on.
Then she handed me the spear, the haft made of silvery metal, the tip gold and crackling with more electricity.
She smiled at me. "You can do this, Leo." She fluttered her wings wide. Lightning crackled between them. "We will stop them."
"Yes, we will," I lied. Could we? They had killed all my will o' wisps. I glanced at the map. They were almost here.
I took my seat, my right hand clenching the spear. I stared at the door to my throne room, my eyes boring hard at it.
My heart thundered in my chest. Blood rushed hot through my veins. Kill my monster girls? Invade my domain?
Fucking heroes. I hadn't harmed anyone.
The doors flung open.