A tall man entered with black hair and eyes that appeared to be red. He wore a black robe that clad his chest and then fell open as if to show off the tight, leather pants he wore. He held a staff of a shadow-stained wood in his hand.
Behind him, a woman entered. She was tall with dark-purple skin, on the edge of fading to black itself. She was a busty beauty, naked and unashamed. She held a shadowy sword in her right hand. Blue hair spilled down around her fierce face.
The man leered at Lana. "I am going to enjoy having her in my harem," he said, his gaze flicking over her.
"Yes, I am. Lightning and Dark sound fun together, don't you think?"
"You're a dungeon builder?" I demanded in shock. Not a hero at all. But someone like me. Someone brought to this world and given powers.
"Mthunzi," he said and gave a mocking bow. "That is my new name."
"New name?" I asked, snorting. I glared at him. "I am Leo Baldwin." I rose, gripping my spear. "You trespass on my domain at your peril."
He burst into mocking laughter. "Oh, you are young. What are you, eighteen?"
"Nineteen," I growled. "You think you can march into my domain and steal my woman?"
"Yes." Mthunzi smiled. "You're new here. Been, what, a week. You had an uninspired dungeon. You did nothing to give your will o' wisps any defense. I'm lucky I got here before any of the more powerful dungeon builders found you. I'm going to steal the power of your Void Crystal and add your rune to mine."
He leered at Lana. "I'm going to enjoy fucking you."
"Stick your cock in me, and you'll find out how exhilarating I can be," Lana said and lightning burst from her.
Mthunzi laughed again. "Once I have his rune, you won't care about any of that. You'll love me."
I slammed the butt of my spear down in anger. I struggled to remember the words to the magic I had been taught. How to use it. The way I had to imagine it rushing out of me. I glared at this bastard. I would ram my spear into him.
"No one takes Lana Fulmine from me," I growled.
The man grinned. "Lana Fulmine. Jane Dangerous herself, huh? I wish I had thought of her." Then words spilled from his mouth: "Shadows flow and darkness sharpens, let the cunning of Lord Zuen stab!"
He raced forward as he threw darkness at me. It flashed across the room straight at me.
Out of instinct, I thought of protective electricity and cried out, "Lightning crackle and hiss, gird me in the love of Lady Uttu!"
The aura of crackling electricity leaped around me. The darkness hit it, freezing amid the cage of lightning flowing around me. I saw it then, the dagger of darkness he had conjured. It fought to break through my protecting barrier before sizzling away into motes of darkness.
I grinned. I could do this.
A second dagger slammed into my protection, cast while I was exulting. My Static Aura crackled. His dagger burst into shadows even as my protecting spell shorted out. It died away, leaving me standing undefended.
Darkness tumbled at me.
"Fuck!" I jumped to the side. The dark dagger flashed past and struck my throne while I hit the ground, my breastplate clattering.
To my right, Lana Fulmine and the purple-skinned monster rushed at each other. Lighting fired from her wings, blocked by the enemy monster girl's shadowy sword. I pushed myself back up, Mthunzi almost upon me.
"Spark of lightning, crackle of electricity, let the wrath of Lord Enlil explode!" I cried out, thinking of a burst of lightning.
"Spark of lightning, crackle of electricity, let the wrath of Lord Enlil explode!" I cried out, thinking of a burst of lightning.
The bolt of hissing, white-blue plasma shot from me. Mthunzi cursed and flung himself to the side, hitting on my map. He rolled over it as I scrambled back to my feet. I grinned, exhilaration flowing through my body. I could attack, too.
I spoke the words and threw another Lighting Spear at the enemy dungeon builder.
"In darkness slumbers and shadows hide, let the grace of Lady Ninazu fall!" Mthunzi cried even as he rolled to dodge the attack. My Lighting Spear slammed into the ground where he'd lain. Smoke curled up.
Darkness engulfed him. A cloud of darkness ten feet across. It utterly hid him. I froze then, frowning. I raised my left hand to fire another Lightning Spear at him. He had to be somewhere in that black. Where, though?
"Spark of lightning, crackle of electricity, let the wrath of Lord Enlil explode!" I chanted and threw a Lightning Spear, magic coursing through me from the Void Crystal. I could feel it dwindling.
The lightning bolt slammed through the darkness obscuring him. It passed out through the other side and hit the far wall. I shifted my aim even as the cloud moved, Mthunzi running in it.
I fired a second Lighting Spear. A third. They crackled through his obscuring protection as he wove closer and closer to me.
"Fuck," I growled. How could I hit him if I couldn't see him?