A Dungeon's Desire Read online

  A Dungeon’s Desire

  A Lewd Saga Adventure

  Eden Redd

  A Dungeon’s Desire © copyright 2018 Eden Redd

  All Rights Reserved

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  “Evil is good.” ~ Dungeon Keeper

  A Dungeon’s Desire is a Lewd Saga adventure, taking place after Lewd Rogue: Master’s Coin and before Lewd Kingdoms: Shadow’s Edge.

  A Dungeon’s Desire was previously part of an anthology which is no longer available. This story is being published on its own with a new added chapter, tying in it to the main story of Lewd Saga.

  Follow the links below to the Lewd Saga Series. They’re arranged in the correct order to read.

  Lewd Saga Adventures

  Lewd Knights

  Lewd Knight 2.0: Middle Kingdoms

  Lewd Paladin: Shadow of Fate

  Lewd Necromancer: Raiding Hearts

  Lewd Rogue: Golden Desires

  Lewd Dragon: Bright Storm

  Lewd Knight 3.0: Serpent Horizon

  Lewd Paladin: Dread of Night

  Lewd Shadowmancer: The Concubine Contract

  Lewd Rogue: Master’s Coin

  Lewd Kingdoms

  Lewd Kingdoms: Shadow’s Edge

  Lewd Kingdoms: Fallen Throne

  Lewd Kingdoms: Midnight War

  Or buy the 14-book collections in two omnibuses

  Lewd Saga Omnibus: 7 Book Collection

  Lewd Saga Omnibus Book Two: 7 Book Collection

  One

  Pain flared as screams filled the abyss. Invisible whips lashed at a delicate form, searing skin with lingering agony. The being barely had a moment before each whip cracked again, driving the tendrils of pain deeper into their core.

  Too much! It’s too much!

  The voice reached into the abyss, but none were there to hear it. The spirit languished in torment, unable to form coherent thoughts other than wishing for it to stop. Anger bubbled, but it was quickly lashed into submission as pain grew to counter it. Sadness bloomed, but the pain burned away any tears before they could form. Time had no meaning as the endless whipping by unseen forces scarred their heart.

  I will not let this continue!

  The voice echoed in the darkness, but the unseen whips continued flaying the being floating in the abyss. On and on it went, but the thing in the abyssal shadows cried out with a surge of power. The whips stopped, but only for a second before they resumed their work.

  No!

  The thing in the abyss took hold of the pain and pushed it deeper into its core. The whipping grew sharper like glass shards, but a mad surge took hold of the spirit in the dark. It smiled as it took the pain and drove it even deeper into itself. The lashing bloomed into a storm, but it laughed louder and harder, black tears flowed from black eyes, streaking down black skin.

  Stop.

  Like a breath against a small candle, the pain winked out and it was gone. The being floated in the abyss, an insane laugh rising up. It continued for some time, but the thing didn’t care. The pain stopped and now it knew peace.

  Weary, it drifted in a sea of night. The torment became a memory and sanity slowly returned. The being blinked, but there was nothing except a black canvas. It floated with the abyssal tides, lazily wondering where it was.

  A light pierced the darkness, and the spirit was drawn to it. Moving, it floated to the light, wanting to know what it was. It hovered before the light, a pinpoint in time.

  Aren’t you precious.

  It reached out with an incorporeal hand and touched the tiny point of light. Reality twisted and shifted. The thing cried out once again as pain returned. Its body was dragged into the light. Pieces of it struck the surface and vanished. It clawed at the abyss to stay, but it had nothing to grab hold of. Pieces were pulled in by massive gravity until the only thing left was the thing’s mind. It stretched and warped until it too was yanked from the dark world and into another.

  A new silence greeted the being as it lay. Stillness wrapped around it’s fluttering conscious. The thing blinked, but its blinking felt askew and odd. Something didn’t connect and it sent strange spirals through it. Senses reaching out, it felt something. It was odd because the thing knew this feeling, but was having difficulty remembering. A hazy cloud enveloped the being as it tried to recognize what it was.

  Is it the ground?

  The being spread its senses out further, feeling around with incorporeal tendrils. It was indeed the ground. Feeling along, it touched a rocky wall and then snaked up to a small curvy ceiling. Tendrils touched a set of strange symbols not too far away and it caressed their design with curiosity. It could not see anything in the inky darkness and a small frustration filled the being on the floor.

  We need some light.

  As if on command, a small glow filled the area. The being looked on as the glow grew a little brighter. A small cave appeared out of the darkness, shadows shifting to the light. Small patches of mushrooms filled the edge of the little cave and runic symbols radiated with a dim magical aura.

  The spirit was overjoyed as it could see its surroundings. A sigh filled the small cave as the being was thankful it no longer had to be in the dark. The rush of bliss was fleeting as the it surveyed its tomb. Little else filled the small cave and boredom quickly ensued.

  I wonder if I can stand up.

  The being tried to move, but nothing happened. It tried again and still, nothing happened. A shiver of annoyance filled it as it tried a third time. Spreading out its senses a little further, the tendrils touched the edge of the cave and it seemed to go on. It found the information useless since it could not move. Drawing itself back, it pondered its predicament.

  Is anyone out there? I could use some help.

  The runes in the cave glowed brighter and a mist billowed up. The being on the floor watched as the smoke spun and burst to reveal a scantily clad woman with horns and leathery wings. The succubus stretched her arms, eyes squeezing shut and yawning.

  It watched her, noticing she was wearing only a purple thong and a top that barely contained her breasts. Edges of her nipples strained against the tight fabric as the demon’s hands fell to her sides. The demon then scratched at her stomach and looked down with half closed eyes. Licking her lips with a long-pointed tongue, she took a few steps closer to the thing on the floor.

  “You made it,” the demon woman said unenthusiastically.

  I can’t seem to move. Can you tell me what happened? How did I get here?

  The demon bent her knees and knelt to the floor. “I’ll answer your questions, but only if you let me touch you.”

  Touch me? Why do you want to touch me?

  “Let me touch you and I can answer all of your questions. That is the deal,” the demon said with a smirk.

  And if I don’t let you touch me?

  “Then I go back to sleep and wait until you’re ready,” the demon whispered.

  The being mentally questioned the creature kneeling. It didn’t take much of a leap of logic to know if it let the demon touch it, some deal would be struck. But, unable to move and with no answers, the thing had little choice in the matter. Reluctance took root, but the being knew if it was going to discover why it was here, the demon woman would be the only one who could fill in the gaps.

  You can touch me.

  “Excellent,” the demon woman said as she reached over with a clawed finger.

  The being watched as the woman touched it. Ripples filled the its vision as a bond latched onto the demon woman. A connection formed and locked into place. The light in the small cave grew brighter for a long moment before dying down once again.

&n
bsp; The succubus stood up, “Thank you Mistress. My name is Sekka. I am your loyal servant and aid. Welcome to your new home.”

  Servant? New home? What happened to me?

  Sekka sauntered around the small cave, looking to the walls and mentally making a note of the mushrooms in the corner.

  “You have been chosen to become a dungeon core. Congratulations!”

  Sekka held out a hand and a puff of smoke flashed. In a blink, a small mirror was in her hand. Turning around, she stepped over and held the mirror up to the thing on the floor.

  It looked into the mirror, gazing at a glowing rhombus shaped crystal. The reflection showed her size and she could see that she was as large as the demon’s sensual thigh. Green and white light swirled in the crystal as it pulsed with magical energy. Shock and confusion filled the crystal as it could not understand what was happening. Faint memories touched her mind as she tried to remember something, anything. At first there was an internal silence. A trickle of memories slipped along the jagged rocks of her mind and then a river began to flow. The crystal’s senses widened as the river turned into a surge and then a deluge. Memories crashed into a splintered form and the pieces began to reassemble themselves to a chaotic horror.

  My name is Lyndra Spire. No…that’s not right. My name is…

  The succubus tightened her grip on the hand held mirror. It shattered and each piece dug into her skin until every shard disappeared. Sekka knelt down, running long fingers along the crystal’s smooth surface.

  “There will be some confusion at first. I’m here to help you adjust to your new role. Take all the time you need to come to terms with it.”

  I’m in Lewd Saga. This is a game. How can I be here? I live in the real world. I…

  “Oh honey, it is a lot stranger than you think. I shall ease you into it. Let Sekka smooth away your troubles for now,” the succubus said with small smile and a gleam in her half-closed eyes.

  Two

  The cave air was cool. A small mist drifted up from the strange runes by the wall. Sekka gazed down on the crystal as Lyndra stared up, lost in confused thoughts. Memories swam with the current and the crystal felt her inner world shrink a little. Images of fighting monsters and taking lovers washed on the rocky shores of her mind. Lyndra found it difficult to untangle the web of her virtual reality. Thoughts spurred on to when she walked in reality, but they came off hazy and distant. She couldn’t piece it together and fell back to what she knew, which wasn’t much.

  Sekka looked down with lazy eyes, “You are correct. This is Lewd Saga, but you are no longer you anymore. You have become part of the game and now have a sacred quest to become something more.”

  Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.

  Sekka nodded slightly, “As you wish. You have been chosen to become a dungeon core. Your actions in game and your brain wave patterns fit the criteria needed to create a digital clone and place you as a resident in Lukken. You contain the basics needed to be an antagonist for the many players in Lewd Saga.”

  I’m here to be a villain for other players? Who made this decision? Don’t I have a say in the matter?

  “No, you don’t,” Sekka said with a blank face. “The contract your physical self agreed to when they first signed into Lewd Saga states that Eden Corp. retains and owns all digital versions, copies, clones and programs in Lewd Saga. The corporation has ownership of any and all things in Lewd Saga. You are now a digital citizen.”

  Lyndra thought back to when she first entered the game. A fifty-page contract appeared before her to sign. Not wanting to waste any time, she flipped to the end and signed it without a second thought. A creeping dread filled her as she understood now that she had literally signed away her digital life.

  What about my real life? What about…

  “Your real self continues to play in Lewd Saga. She continues to adventure and love as she wills. She will never know you are here nor could she ever help you.”

  I’m a cleric in the game. What if she comes to me? What do I say? How…

  “Since you are her clone, you will be unable to communicate with her. If you ever meet, your words will come out in gibberish or not at all. You must understand, she will never know about you. This is your existence now. The sooner you accept it, the faster we will begin your work.

  My work?

  Sekka nodded again, “Your duty as a dungeon core is to grow in power and strength to challenge players. Dungeon’s used to be created with procedural generation algorithms, but players felt they were too hollow. Several dungeon cores have been tested with favorable results. It created a better PvE environment and a higher challenge to those seeking robust dungeon designs.”

  You said I fit the criteria. What is that?

  Sekka gave Lyndra a wicked grin, “Your greed and survival percentages were within the requirements.”

  I was a cleric for the Red Hammer Guild. I helped everyone when they needed it. I was never evil.

  Sekka sat back on her round rump, a pointed tail snaking around and laying on her thigh, “Lyndra, you do not have to pretend or hide here. We are connected so I know the deepest aspects of you. The game monitors and records all patterns and actions. It takes the information and creates a digital file of you at your core. This is how Lewd Saga tailors the game to each player, playing to their wants and desires. You played a cleric, but you also filled your pockets with gold and gems. You demanded your share at all times and even took treasure for yourself when other players weren’t looking.”

  Sekka tilted her head up and sighed, “Your sexual hunger is something to admire. You often exhausted your lovers to fulfill your needs. Match that with your survival percentages, you have one of the lowest death counts in the game. Self-preservation is a cornerstone for you and something you should be proud of.”

  Lyndra was silent, her digital mind processing what she was told. A spark flared as her instincts took over. The lines drawn, she understood that she was beyond what she was before. The urge to survive welled up and she could feel the code pressing down on her very being. It sang on like a dream in the background, but her new life unfolded before her.

  Sekka seemed to notice as a brow rose, “You seem to have accepted your fate.”

  Lyndra glowed with a pulsating light. Part of her wanted to argue with the succubus, but a larger part spoke of the futility in it. Much like her former life, she wanted to get into the meat and guts of the game so she could turn it to her advantage. Lewd Saga was no different. It was a game of high fantasy adventure and sensual acts, but the player knew how to work the system. Where most played the game to satisfy their sexual egos, she explored it to its fullest. Memories sprouted of how she was going to build her own kingdom once the Lewd Kingdoms update happened. Until then, she was gathering gold and gems so she could create her own kingdom and eventual empire. It was an ambitious plan, but she knew deep down that was what she wanted. Now, a version of herself was trapped in a crystal and she had to start again.

  Sekka, let’s begin.

  The succubus nodded. “As your loyal servant, I am here to provide information and carry out your will as it were. My first duty is to provide the basic skills needed to begin our work. But first, what shall I call you my Mistress?”

  Lyndra’s name appeared in her vision. The core knew she could change the name with a thought, but she lingered. The past whispered in her ear how she always liked the name. Mentally making up her mind, she accepted the name that was already in her vision and it blinked away.

  I lost everything, but I’m keeping my name.

  Sekka eyed the crystal on the floor, eyes half closed and her horned head tilting forward, “Of course, Mistress Spire.”

  The succubus was to her bare feet. Bending at the hip, she took the large crystal into her delicate hands and lifted it up, gazing into the swirling mists within.

  “Right now, I’m holding the most important part of you, your dungeon core. It is strong and can take a lot of damage, but once
it shatters, your digital self will cease to exist. You will need to grow your power to ensure your continued survival. I will also protect you, but my fighting skills are low on the scale. I will get into how to improve your power but first, let’s start with the basics.”

  Sekka cradled the crystal against her over abundant bosom, “You will see how many hit points you have.”

  Lyndra looked to the right corner of her vision as numbers displayed.

  Lyndra Spire

  Dungeon Core

  Hit Points: 10,000/10,000

  Sekka continued, “Next, we will discuss the three spheres essential to your survival. All dungeon cores have mystical abilities so they may create and destroy at will. You will have some basic abilities, but will discover others the more powerful you become.

  “The first one is the Elemental Sphere. You will be able to create or conjure elemental powers and servants by spending points. The greater the ability, the more it will cost. You will be able to use elemental servants to carve out your dungeon to any design you wish. They will make it as elaborate or as simple as you command. They work without getting tired, but make poor guardians due to their high cost and low intelligence.

  “You will gain spell-like abilities, controlling the elements for attack and defense. This is to ensure you can defend yourself or aid your dwellers. To power the Elemental Sphere, you must consume precious metals and gems; such as gold coins, rubies, diamonds and the like.”

  Sekka held Lyndra close, stroking the smooth crystal surface, “Next is the Necromancy Sphere. With this power, you can animate the dead to do your bidding. They make poor workers, but make excellent guards and servants in your dungeon. Of course, you can spend more of your power to grant them a certain level of intelligence and skills, but it takes time and bodies. When a creature dies in your dungeon, their life force will sink into your core. You will then have the power and ability to raise them once again to do your bidding. They will fight without hesitation and follow your commands to the letter.”