Chapter 9
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Notes: There are several.
Yeah, Bullfrog owns it. You can tell, really, because if *I* owned it, there would be a romance factor in the game and a lot more pretty guys and... ::trails off drooling:: Anyway, don't sue me.
Slash. Yes folks, there *is* guy-on-guy action in the world of Dungeon Keeper. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
If you haven't yet, read the first chapter now.
Even though the game is not mine, the story is, and I would appreciate it if you did not use it without my permission. Ask and ye shall probably be allowed to archive.
Thanks to my beta reader Vagabond, the sweetie. ^_~
I think that's all, so on with the fic!
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Kaelay
Finally. The Red Darkness is contacting me again. Maybe I will know what has been troubling it for so long, or why its attention has been elsewhere recently. Something is happening, of that I am certain.
Kaelay. The voice washes over me like a cool breeze, soothing my every nerve and strengthening me. It is ecstasy, and my mind begs to hear it again, if only for a moment.
I have a task for you Kaelay.
Yes Master. Anything. I will do anything for you.
You know of Evain, do you not?
Evain? He is your secondary Keeper. Yes I know of him. Has he displeased you in any way?
Not quite. He is a good strategist, almost as good as you are. However, he lacks in experience. He does not feel the beating of the Hearts as strongly because he is not connected. I am sending him to this realm, and I wish for you to guide him. Let him be your apprentice, and learn from you. Teach him the ways of a real Keeper.
I am stunned. Evain? But... why? Surely you do not doubt me my Lord, that you would think me incapable of surviving this alliance-
Of course not. I merely wish to have something in reserve, just in case. Kaimea seemed worthy as well. Do not become overconfident. If you should for some reason fail, Evain must be ready to defend my Darkness in your stead.
Yes of course. I will do your bidding.
I feel the Darkness withdrawing into the back of my mind and every nerve in my body cries out against it. The worry and weariness returns, and I shudder slightly, feeling as though I am going through the withdrawal of some powerful drug. And indeed I am, in a way.
Damn. Evain! Why on earth would the Darkness feel the need to send him *here*? I am already occupied, and it knows that. Evain could easily train with another Keeper, or better yet find his own experience on the battlefield. I have no time to give to training a weakling.
But what the Darkness commands, I must obey. I will take him on, however grudgingly, and make sure that he stays out of my way.
Seiat
I wander down the corridors of the Green Dungeon, trying to think. Ramasha is a Dark Angel, so he will most likely be in the Temple. Where is the Temple? I could ask for directions, but the only person around is a Bile Demon, and he's frowning at me and sharpening a dagger, so I don't think I'll ask him.
I press on, passing by a hatchery. Peeking in, I find that I am not as alone as I thought. There is a Spider there, munching heartily on chickens, freezing them now and then for enjoyment. I approach her cautiously. One never knows when a creature might attack an Imp for no reason, regardless of any truce.
"Ex..." I clear my throat and start again. "Excuse me Miss, but could you tell me the way to the Temple?"
She turns her eight eyes on me, and they shine slightly with reflected torchlight. She clacks her jaws once or twice, a gesture that I've come to understand means a Spider is thinking.
"You are an Imp from the Red Dungeon, are you not?" she asks. Her voice is low and hissing, with high-pitched barely audible overtones.
I nod, beginning to tremble a little bit. I'm not to fond of Spiders, for the obvious reason that they eat creatures of about my size. "Y-yes Ma'am. I am."
Her eyes turn up a little at the sight of my shaking. This means she is amused. Good.
"Ah, Little One. No need to be afraid. I am not an Imp-killer." I relax about a hair. "No, I will help you find the Temple. I have to go there myself."
I smile at her, and follow her out the door. She seems kindly enough, more like a grandmother than anything else. Of course, I've known some grandmothers who could beat up a whole horde of Demon Spawn, but that's probably beside the point.
As we walk down the hallway, she talks to me about herself. Her name is Elseena. I find that while she is not a grandmother, she is indeed a mother. Her fifth brood just hatched a few weeks ago, and she is quite pleased with herself. I find myself enjoying conversing with her, and am almost disappointed when we reach the Temple.
"Here we are, Little One," she hisses, placing the tip of a long jointed leg on my shoulder briefly, before scuttling off to the edge of the water to pray.
I stare after her a moment before turning to look around. There are several Angels here, and it takes me a while to locate Ramasha. In the end I find him by the scar that runs down one shoulder. He is sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, staring morosely at the Temple's water. It occurs to me that I found Tarkasas in the same position not long ago.
I walk up to him slowly, not quite sure as to what I'm going to say. As I approach, he jerks his head around to me, his eyes slightly wide for a moment. I realize that he didn't sense my presence until just now, and this is puzzling. When there is an enemy in one's Dungeon, one tends to know about it right away. Still, I am only fourth level, so I am not much of a threat.
"Yes?" he asks. His voice sounds hoarse, and he clears his throat. "Yes?" he says again, more confidently this time.
I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "I want to talk to you about Tarkasas."
His eyes widen and I hear his sharp intake of breath. Slowly he manages to get himself under control. "What about him?"
"What do you mean 'what about him'," I say angrily. "You've been depressing him no end lately. In case you hadn't noticed, he really cares about you, and you've been hurting him!"
His mouth twists into a grimace. "Well, that's his problem. He shouldn't take me so seriously."
I am momentarily speechless. Is he kidding? "What do you mean? I just told you that he cares about you. He may even be in love with you! This IS serious."
"Oh, I don't know." He frowns, then looks up at the ceiling, a smile on his face that holds just as much pain as the one I saw on Tarkasas' face in the casino. "He's just another creature from a Dungeon that we have a temporary alliance with. What would you have me do, anyway?"
"Something! Talk to him, at least."
"I don't want to talk to him." He turns to look at me again. "Do you know how many problems he's causing me right now? I can't stand him."
I can't think of a reply. There aren't really words to begin to describe what I want to say to him. So I decide to try a universal weak point. "What would your Keeper say if he knew how much pain you were causing an allied creature?"
I watch his eyes widen in fear, then narrow in fury. He grabs me in one hand by the front of my cloak and slams me into the wall. He glares, but doesn't say anything. I get the feeling that he's calculating something, but it's hard to tell seeing as how I'm scared out of my wits.
Finally he puts me down and turns away from me. "Leave," he orders quietly.
Before he can change his mind and pick me up again, I rush out of the room. Once I'm in the hallway, I pause for breath. What was that all about? He seems to be really afraid of his keeper. I wasn't serious about telling the green keeper, but he acted as though that would be the worst thing I could do. But I couldn't talk to Mortagui. I could never get an audience with him. Unless... I start down the hallway towards the Lair.
Tarkasas
I am kneeling in front of my Mistress, Lady Kaelay. I do not know why she has summoned me here, but as long as I have something to do I am happy. Anything is better than thinking of Him.
I have been waiting here for a while. I do not pretend to know what Kaelay is doing, but I can sense her anger leaking in palpable waves. I keep my head bowed, hoping that the anger is not directed at me.
Tarkasas.
Ah. She is ready. "Yes Lady. You summoned me?"
Yes, yes. I can hear the impatience in her "voice". Did I ever tell you about Keeper Evain, Tarkasas?
What? "No my Lady. I do not recall you mentioning that name."
Oh bother. Well, basically he is my second-in-command. Or rather, the Darkness'. He is coming here so that I may train him, and I'd like you to meet him. He is approaching now, and I have Imps digging towards his Dungeon.
I blink. Another Keeper? Why is he coming here?
Seeming to read my thoughts, Kaelay says I've been instructed to train him. I know, it's not really something I have time for now, what with the alliance, but those were the orders I was given. Now, I want you to go to the end of the tunnel I'm digging out and meet whatever creature he sends to greet you. Tell him that the point I've designated is the boundary of the area I'm allowing him to extend his Dungeon. He'll know what that is. The tunnel starts to the West of the Lair. Now go.
I stand and bow deeply. "Yes, Lady Kaelay." And I leave.
Heading down the passageway, I consider the irony of this. Just recently I was sent to intercept an ambassador to our Dungeon, and now I'm the ambassador. I can only wonder who will be the one meeting me. Wouldn't it be just perfect if it were a Dark Angel? The irony to end all ironies...
It's not. An Orc meets me at the end of the tunnel, and together we walk across a small river that separates the two Dungeons.
Being in another Red Dungeon is not at all like being in the Green Dungeon. The Heartbeat here is almost exactly like my own, and it requires very little effort to step across the boundary. I feel no compulsion to find and destroy the Heart, and no hostility towards these creatures. So far so good.
The Orc takes me to the Heart Chamber, where I kneel briefly. Standing up, I hear the unfamiliar mind voice of Keeper Evain. Unlike Kaelay, whose voice is deep and elegant, Evain sounds young and rather gentle. His voice is higher pitched and soft, in a way that speaks of quiet intelligence, rather than aggressive strategy.
So you are Kaelay's ambassador. Greetings.
I nod acknowledgement. "Kaelay has instructed me to tell you that the point she has designated marks the boundary of the area in which she will allow the extension of your Dungeon."
Oh, is that what it is? He sounds quietly surprised. Does this Keeper ever get emotional? We were wondering. Thank you Knight. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to relay a message from me to her. Ask her if she would be willing to meet me at the point in, oh, say, two hours to speak in person. You don't have to bring back a reply, just tell her that I'll be there.
Is it just me, or is he way too polite for a Keeper? Nevertheless, I bow and leave the Chamber. He seems a pushover. Why the Darkness chose him to be the second-in-command I can't fathom.
I reach Kaelay quickly enough and relay my message. She seems pleased, and informs me that she intends to meet him. I tell her my observations on his personality and she snorts in contempt.
I met him once briefly before. It sounds like he hasn't gotten better since then. Oh well, that's his problem. I'll see what I can do with him. You are dismissed Tarkasas.
I nod, bow and turn to leave. Before I can exit however, an idea strikes me. I turn back to her.
"Lady Kaelay?" I ask, "I beg permission to ask a favor of you."
I can almost feel her scowl. Speak what you wish.
I hesitate. Will she allow me this? It's worth the risk of her annoyance, I think.
"Lady, I would like to ask if... if I bring the Dark Angel Ramasha into this Dungeon, will you imbue him with your force? He is in bad standing in his Dungeon, and might need to switch alliances quickly enough that his Keeper will not notice." A lie perhaps, but with a grain of the truth.
She considers it, and for a moment I am sure that she is going to reject it utterly. But she surprises me. Yes. Yes, I think I will. It never hurts to have another Dark Angel in one's Dungeon, especially one who is almost seventh level. If you bring him here and he is willing, then I will convert him.
I'm shocked, but elated. "Thank you Keeper. Thank you so much." I stumble out of the chamber in euphoria. The only thing left to do now is convince him to come with me.
Ramasha
Mortagui has assigned me to watch the implementation of the new Heart. There's not much I can do, seeing as the magic is mostly Dungeon and not really the God's magic, but a little supervision never hurt, especially with Warlocks.
When a Darkness falls, no new Keepers of that color can be created, so their numbers dwindle. It will be hard to find a Blue Keeper who can reclaim his or her Darkness, but once we do, we will have a powerful ally. More powerful even, perhaps, than Kaelay.
The Warlocks start their work, and I lean against the wall by the door to watch them. While the magic is interesting (and a nice light show besides) I find that I can't concentrate on it. My mind keeps drifting back to the Imp that I met this afternoon.
I was harsh with him, but I'm not very fond of imps. I never have been. All of Mortagui's little minions seem somehow jealous of their Master's apparent affection for me, and go out of their way to make my life more miserable than it is. I can't stand the impudence of them when they stand up for something they don't understand.
It rattled me when he said that he might go to Mortagui, but when I think about it I realize how silly that is. Imps can't stand to be in another Keeper's Heart Chamber while the Keeper is still healthy. Even if Mortagui *would* see him, which I doubt.
Still, I should not have taken my frustration out on Kaelay's creature. He was innocent, I suppose, as innocent as any of us are. And he did seem genuinely concerned about Tarkasas.
I bite back a sigh. This is no good. I'm *still* moping over that Knight. Why can't I get him out of my head? I should stop thinking about him. Concentrate on something else. The magic. Think about that.
I look up to the burned crater that was Chaelar's heart just as things really start to happen. Three of Mortagui's Imps dance around the circular pit, chanting lightly under their breaths. The crumbled pillars that arch over the heart begin to rise, reforming themselves and glowing with Mortagui's green light.
Before the green can fully take over the Heart however, three Warlocks step up, positioning themselves one between each arch. They bow their heads, raise their hands and begin to chant.
The depths of the earth beneath the blackened Heart begin to stir, releasing a low rumbling. Slowly, small spots of blue light begin to collect at the center of the Heart. Suddenly the walls around us flare green, as Mortagui's spells take effect, blocking the Blue energy beginning to radiate from the room.
The spots collect faster and faster, forming themselves into a blue ball that grows and swells like a living thing. It begins to pulse, the beat of it joining the background of our own Heart like an imperfect echo. The dots stop, and the ball begins to flatten, forming a disk that extends to the edges of the ruin. A blue flare appears at the base of each pillar, and the color travels up the bottom of the arches to gather at their centers, growing deeper and fuller.
Finally, the light condenses to the point where the arches can no longer contain it, and it shoots downward and inward from the center of each arch into the earth. It parts the soil around it effortlessly, creating a deep pit through which more blue light bubbles up like lava. When it reaches the rim of the heart the color begins to fade, leaving in its place the reddish-orange membrane of a live Heart.
All of a sudden the new beating overwhelms the old, and I can no longer feel the beating of my own Heart. The enemy has taken our room! Attack it! Destroy!
With a large effort I manage to get myself under control. I take a few calming breaths and stumble my way over to the door. When I fall out into our own territory, the relief is intense. I gasp for breath, forcing myself to relax.
I can feel Mortagui's attention on the room, and his pleasure at the completion of the Blue Heart. Soon we will have to send out a covert call to any Blue Keepers who wish to claim the Darkness. Before that though, I can imagine that Mortagui will attempt to talk to the Blue Darkness. It won't work; only a Keeper of the same color can talk to a Darkness, but he will try it anyway. Mortagui is power-hungry and will try anything.
I start towards the Lair. I need to sleep. This has been more draining than it should have been considering that I was only observing. I am so tired.
Ramasha.
Oh no. "Yes, my Lord? I was just about to go rest..."
Shit.
Oh? Wonderful. I know the perfect room for you.
Oh Gods. Please, not now. Let me rest first. Please. "With all due respect Mortagui, I am so tired-"
I wasn't asking your permission Ramasha. Do I need to get you there myself? I will restrain you if necessary.
I heave a sigh. "No my Lord. I will go."
He chuckles in my head. That's a good pet
I hate him. I hate him more than anything else.
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.