Dark Heart: The Demonic Dungeon

The interior of the anchor chamber was larger than Agya had expected. A perfect circle, the chamber’s walls were dominated by dozens of shelves of lacquered dark wood already filled with a multitude of books. Leather bound spines of every shape and color filled the open spaces, and pigeon holes held rolled up scrolls and parchments bound with ribbon or sealed with wax.

Along with the books were odds and ends of every sort scattered around. Bottles and vials of odd colored liquids, strange devices of brass, boxes in all shapes and size, and a collection of trinkets and charms that ranged from the dazzlingly beautiful to bizarrely macabre. Agya had to wonder how much of the mess was actually useful, and how much was just so much decoration.

The chamber was fully furnished with a small writing desk complete with parchment, ink and quill, and a small alcove between the shelves held a rather cozy looking bed of pillows and blankets. However, the majority of the room was dedicated to a large, circular table right at the center with a single, ornate chair waiting to be occupied.

Agya knew what this was. The fairy had explained to her that this was the true heart of the dungeon. From this table Agya would be able to plan her dungeon’s layout, select it’s environmental settings, set it’s traps and position it’s monsters. This was the control hub of the entire dungeon.

Grinning like a mad woman with anticipation, Agya slid her bare ass into the empty seat and felt a rush of energy as the stone nestled between her breasts throbbed and seemed to connect with the power of the table.

The surface of the table was made of a polished black glass, and it pulsed once with the same purple color as her interface screens before a large, black tome materialized.

Almost half as large as Agya was tall, the book was bound in thick, hard leather and seemed to rise up from within the glass tabletop as if the surface were made of liquid. It was gilded in gold filigree, and set with a glittering amethyst at the center of it’s cover.

Reverently, Agya reached out to take the book. But before she could touch it, the cover flew open on it’s own and the pages began to flutter, flipping rapidly before her eyes. As she watched the book’s pages blur, an interface message appeared.

Please select an assistant spirit.

This was not something the deceitful little fairy had mentioned, and Agya was beginning to wonder just how much information that bitch had omitted from her explanations. The newly evolved quasit made a silent vow to re-interrogate her if Z’rada hadn’t already killed her.

Agya opened the drop down list presented to her by the interface and began to look trough the long list of possible assistant spirits she had to choose from. There were names, and selecting one opened a brief summery of who the spirit was and what sort of benefits they could offer her. Most of the names she didn’t recognize, but there were a few that seemed out of place and she opened their summaries to learn more.

Gares, The Betrayed: Gares the Crusader died at the hands of his allies for a crime he did not commit. His loyalty in life and his anger at the betrayal perpetrated by his allies has festered into a hatred of falsehood. As a dungeon assistant spirit he grants his dungeon lord the power to speak any language and project an Aura of Truth out to fifteen feet. His presence in the dungeon negates all illusion magic cast within.

Vellahm, The Bitter Angel: Once a being of extreme goodness, Vellahm became a wrathful spirit after taking on an impossible task set by her patron goddess that ended in failure. In death she has grown cunning, and encourages planning and careful preparation. As a dungeon assistant spirit she grants her dungeon lord the ability Foresight, allowing them to see a number of seconds into the future equal to one quarter their core power rounded down. Her presence in the dungeon grants all summoned monsters a 5% bonus to wisdom.

Chuthulga, The Harbinger: A great monster believed to be a harbinger of the apocalypse, Chuthulga was slain by mortals while he slept. Even in death his gaze radiates malice and despair that promises an end no one can hide from. As a dungeon assistant spirit he grants his dungeon lord the ability Evil Eye, a gaze attack that causes the target to hallucinate their worst fear, instilling terror and panic. His presence in the dungeon spreads a miasma of despair, inflicting all living creatures with an 8% penalty to their defense.

These three struck Agya as very odd choices to be listed here. While the other choices in the list seemed to be the spirits of heroes, angels and various other goodly creatures, these three were distinctly different. These were the spirits of the betrayed, the vengeful and the monstrous. No fairy would ever choose one of these as an assistant, so why were they here?

Could it be that the choices were there because of her? Was Agya herself somehow influencing the dungeon heart? Altering what it would normally allow and adapting to accommodate her demonic nature?

It was a fascinating development, and one Agya fully intended to explore further. But for now she needed to make a choice and get her dungeon up and operating.

All three of the unique choices were interesting to be sure.

Gares’ she dismissed almost immediately. An aura of truth might be useful for interrogations, but having all illusion magic fail within the dungeon would be a detriment to her as much as any mortals who stumbled in.

Vellahm was more difficult to pass over. The wisdom bonus to her summoned monsters would prevent them from being easily tricked and help to combat enchantment magic, and the Foresight ability might prove invaluable given the proper circumstances. However, the limit on how far ahead she would be able to see meant it would only truly be effective in specific situations, and only if she had the opportunity to activate it first.

Chuthulga seemed the best choice to the quasit dungeon lord. His aura of despair would make any mortals entering her dungeon more vulnerable, and the Evil Eye ability simply sounded too delicious not to play with.

Agya was already enjoying fantasies of sending her enemies screaming into madness with just a glance as she selected the dungeon assistant from the list.

The room seemed to darken around her and a black mist rose from the rapidly turning pages of the great tome. The mist spread out across the chamber like a thing alive, twisting and curling in a wind that Agya could not feel.

As she watched with hungry eyes, a long, slender limb emerged from between the pages of the book. A clawed hand with too many fingers clutched at the air, then curled to grasp the edge of the book and pull. The arm was followed by a gaunt, skeletal frame that seemed to grow as it pulled itself free of the pages, unfolding a second, then a third and fourth arm from it’s body. The figure’s legs were long and thin, bent backward at the knee and ending in cloven hooves.

Skin as black as pitch covered the thing’s emaciated body, patched with seemingly random purple scars that curled and twisted into strange glyphs and runes on it’s flesh. It’s spine protruded from it’s back like a line of dull spikes, and it’s hips flared out with bone-like protrusions. Between the figure’s legs was smooth and formless, suggesting no gender for the creature that stepped fully from the pages of the great tome and stood upon the black glass of the table.

Lowering it’s arms, the figure drew the dark mist into itself, forming the insubstantial substance into a long robe of black material. Only then did it turn it’s bald, egg shaped head down to regard Agya where she sat. The figure had no features where it’s face should have been. Just a smooth surface of black flesh and six white eyes that seemed to bore through the little quasit and peel apart her soul.

“Greetings Dungeon Master,” Chuthulga’s voice was a deep, resonant tone that made the bones in her ears vibrate, “How may I be of assistance?”

His question prompted Agya to consider the situation. She need to get her new dungeon constructed and running as quickly as possible. The sooner she could get adventurers coming in, the sooner she could start harvesting them for their mana.

Agya sat back in her chair, her fingers tapping on the edge of the smooth glass table as she contemplated her next steps. The thrill of power buzzed beneath her skin, and she felt the dungeon heart between her breasts hum in unison with her pulse. Chuthulga's form loomed in the center of the chamber, his featureless face directed toward her in an unnerving display of patience.

"We need to build the dungeon," she said, her voice brimming with excitement. "I want it ready to receive our first victims as soon as possible."

Chuthulga inclined his head ever so slightly, his six white eyes watching her intently. "As you wish, Dungeon Master," his voice thrummed like a storm brewing on the horizon. "Where shall we begin?"

Agya leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with malice as she reached out and activated the dungeon interface. The translucent purple screen hovered before her, displaying a grid of options for the layout of her dungeon. The anchor chamber was represented as a single room in the heart of the necropolis catacombs. It was from here that her influence would spread into the mortal world.

"Let's start with the basic layout," she mused, flicking her fingers to select different configurations. "I want it to feel like a labyrinth—twisting passages, dead ends, and ambush points. I want adventurers to feel lost, overwhelmed, and hunted." She paused, considering her options. "We'll focus on creating choke points first, places where we can trap them."

Chuthulga nodded, his voice vibrating through the chamber. "A labyrinth of terror will serve you well. Mortals panic when they lose their way, their minds clouded by fear. It will make them easier to break."

Agya smiled, her sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light of the chamber. "Exactly. Let's start with a central hall leading from the entrance to the anchor chamber, but make it deceptive. Create false paths that circle back on themselves and corridors that appear to lead somewhere important but end in traps."

She selected a series of options from the interface, and the dungeon layout began to take shape before her eyes. The anchor room stretched out into a maze of winding passages, branching in multiple directions. Some led to large, open spaces where she planned to set ambushes, while others ended in sudden drops or spiked pits.

"Now for the traps," Agya continued, her excitement building. "We'll start simple, but effective. I want pit traps in strategic locations. Fill them with spikes or acid—whichever is easier to maintain. And we’ll add some collapsing ceilings. Those should help crush a few overconfident idiots."

Chuthulga’s voice carried a note of amusement. "Your cruelty is well-placed, Dungeon Master. Pit traps with spikes will suffice for now, but may I suggest augmenting them with fire as the dungeon grows? Watching them burn, impaled upon the spikes, would be most… enjoyable."

Agya grinned, imagining the sight. "Yes, fire will come. But I want to make sure they don’t die too quickly. We’ll add poison to the spikes—something slow and agonizing. Make sure they suffer even if they manage to escape the trap."

As she set the traps in place, Agya felt her connection to the dungeon heart grow stronger. The thrill of designing something so deadly, so perfectly suited to her twisted desires, filled her with an almost euphoric energy.

"Monsters," she whispered, turning her attention to the next step. "We’ll need creatures to patrol the labyrinth. Something menacing. Something that hunts."

Her interface flickered, and a new option appeared: Summon Creatures. Agya scrolled through the available options, most of them low-level fiends, goblins, and other creatures of little consequence. However, her eyes widened when a new option revealed itself—something connected to her Soul Forge affinity.

"Whisp Hound," she read aloud, her voice hushed with wonder. The description of the creature filled the screen:

Whisp Hound

Soul Forge Construct

A hound made of dark metal, forged in the fires of the dungeon heart. Blue flames burn within its body, and its eyes blaze with malice. The Whisp Hound is a relentless hunter, tracking intruders through the dungeon and feeding on their fear. Its ethereal form allows it to pass through walls and strike with terrifying speed.

Agya’s lips curled into a wicked smile. "Perfect. A pack of these will tear them apart."

Chuthulga’s six eyes gleamed with approval. "A wise choice. Whisp Hounds will serve you well as both scouts and enforcers. Their presence alone will strike terror into the hearts of intruders."

Agya immediately summoned the first Whisp Hound, watching in fascination as dark metal formed from the shadows in the center of the chamber. The creature took shape before her, its body sleek and muscular, like a hunting dog made of living metal. Flames burned within its chest, visible through cracks in its armored body. Its eyes flared with blue fire, and as it turned its gaze toward Agya, she could feel the raw hunger for fear that radiated from it.

"Beautiful," Agya whispered, reaching out to touch the creature’s metallic flank. It was cool to the touch, despite the fire burning within. The hound lowered its head in submission, a growl rumbling deep in its throat as it awaited her command.

"Go," Agya ordered, her voice filled with authority. "Scout the perimeter of the dungeon. Learn the layout and report back if anything approaches."

The Whisp Hound obeyed, disappearing into the shadows with terrifying speed, its body phasing through the walls of the chamber as if they weren’t even there.

Agya summoned two more Whisp Hounds to patrol the maze, their ethereal forms slipping through the labyrinth as silent sentinels. "These hounds will be my first line of defense," she said, her voice thoughtful. "They’ll track the intruders, sow fear, and pick off the weak. Once they’ve tasted fear, they’ll strike."

Chuthulga’s voice rumbled through the chamber. "And what of the stronger ones? The adventurers who survive the traps and the hounds?"

Agya hovered above the table, her dark wings gently fluttering as she contemplated Chuthulga's words. A place of nightmares, he had said, and the thought sent a delicious shiver down her spine. She had already designed a dungeon full of terrors, but for those who were stronger, those who survived the traps, the Whisp Hounds, and the lesser monsters, something special would be required.

"For them," she murmured, her voice low and dangerous, "we will create a true nightmare."

Her eyes gleamed with malice as she accessed the dungeon interface, navigating to a menu she had been waiting for: Dungeon Boss Design. This option had remained locked until she had gained sufficient core power, and now, with twenty core power at her disposal, she was ready to craft something truly monstrous.

The interface opened before her, a myriad of possibilities unfurling. She could create almost anything, limited only by the power of the dungeon heart and her own twisted imagination. Agya's thoughts drifted to the image of a fearsome beast—something primal, something that would terrify even the most hardened adventurer.

With a flick of her wrist, she brought up the Creature Type options and selected Beast. The base form of the creature appeared as a translucent model hovering in the air, a blank slate waiting to be molded. Agya smirked, her sharp teeth glinting in the faint light.

"It will be a wolf," she said aloud, her voice filled with dark intent. "But not just any wolf. A barghest."

Chuthulga watched in silence as Agya’s fingers danced across the interface, shaping the creature to her design. She increased the size of the model, making the beast tower over any human. Its body stretched into the form of a massive wolf-like creature, standing easily ten feet at the shoulder, its muscular frame rippling with power. Its fur was black as the void, a dark, dense coat that seemed to absorb all light, giving the beast an otherworldly, spectral quality.

"Black as night," she murmured. "So dark that it’s difficult to see where its body ends and the shadows begin."

She moved on to the creature’s face, narrowing its snout into something sleek and predatory. The jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth, and Agya enhanced the strength of its bite, ensuring that anything caught between those fangs would be torn apart in an instant.

Next came the eyes. Agya tapped the interface, selecting Elemental Infusion and infusing the creature’s gaze with the same blue fire that burned within her Whisp Hounds. The barghest’s eyes ignited, twin orbs of searing blue flame that pierced the darkness, promising death to any who met its gaze.

"And its mouth," she added with a wicked grin, "will burn with the same fire. Let it devour its prey with the heat of the flames that fuel its rage."

The creature’s mouth opened, revealing a maw filled with glowing blue fire, its breath scorching the air around it.

Agya paused for a moment, admiring her work. The barghest already looked terrifying, but she wanted more. She wanted this creature to command fear, to be more than just a beast. She wanted it to embody chains, submission, and torment.

She accessed the Augment option and selected Soul Chains. Dark chains materialized around the creature’s body, binding it like a cursed prisoner. These chains were not merely for show—they were alive, part of the barghest’s essence. The chains snaked around its form, writhing and twisting like serpents, and Agya gave the beast the ability to control them as extensions of its body.

"The chains will be its weapons," Agya explained to Chuthulga as she worked. "They can be used to bind, lash, or even strangle its enemies. It will control them like whips, sending them out to ensnare anything that comes too close."

With another adjustment, Agya ensured the chains could reach great distances, striking from across the room with deadly accuracy. Each link of the chains was made from a dark, ethereal metal, cold to the touch and burning with cursed magic.

When she was satisfied with the design, Agya stepped back to admire her creation. The barghest now stood in the center of the room as a fearsome, towering figure—its black fur blending into the shadows, blue fire blazing in its eyes and mouth, and its dark chains coiling around its body like serpents ready to strike.

A message appeared on her interface:

Barghest Complete. Power Requirement: 18 Core Power. Place Dungeon Boss?

Agya’s grin widened. She had some core power to spare, and this creature would be the crown jewel of her dungeon's defenses.

"Yes," she whispered, confirming the placement.

The interface flashed, and the image of the barghest faded from the air. A map of the dungeon appeared, and Agya selected a room just before the anchor chamber, a massive circular space designed to be a final battleground for any adventurers who made it this far.

"The last room before they reach me," Agya said. "If they survive the Whisp Hounds and the traps, the barghest will be their final challenge. Let them think they’re almost to victory, only to face certain death."

She placed the barghest in the room, and the interface confirmed the selection. The room on the map glowed with a faint purple light as the creature’s essence took root in the dungeon.

"It is done," Chuthulga intoned, his voice a deep rumble. "The barghest will serve you well, Dungeon Master. Few will survive its fury."

Agya smiled wickedly. "Perfect. Now let the mortals come. Let them think they can outwit my traps, outrun my Whisp Hounds, and challenge my power. The barghest will be waiting for them."

She closed the interface, feeling the weight of her decisions settle into place. Her dungeon was nearly complete, and soon, the Glass Wall would be nothing but a barrier to be shattered.

Her hands hovered over the dungeon heart, the purple glow intensifying as she whispered to herself. "They will come, and they will die."

And with that, Agya’s dungeon was ready to become a place of true nightmares