Underworld - The Succubi - Book 7 - Chapter 6

Lilith reappeared, descending slowly like a falling feather. She did one of those innocent model poses where she placed her hands on her knees so that her dress didn’t fly up. She daintily turned to the side as if bashful. Seeing that no one was falling for her act, she giggled to herself before straightening and calling out, “It is done. We’ll all see each other soon, I’m sure, but now I must be off. Feel free to take a look above and explore. There are no monsters in the immediate area. However, setting up a basic fortification is something you shouldn’t delay. Goodbye.”

Almost out of habit as she was using her portal skill, I threw a lot of mana into my eyes and activated Force Learn—not on the Head Mistress, but the portal itself. Immediately my perceptions were cast out of my body.

Force Learn was not as it had once been. Once reaching 100,000 Wisdom, it had changed.

Exalted Perceptions

No mana cost.

Cast your perceptions at will to sense the world around you.

Range: 1 foot radius per 1,000 Wisdom.

Note: Mana Sight, Forced Learn, and Time Crawl are perfectly integrated with your perceptions when cast. Other sight related abilities also integrate.

Even though mana was welling up in my eyes, there was no expenditure as my perception of the world extended from my body like a phantom. I sped toward the portal, practically diving into the flow of its mana.

I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe for it to be like a pool of energy, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was a round tunnel. One with walls constructed from mana that seemed to pull me toward the other end. It had no effect on my perceptions, but the pulling force was undoubtedly there.

When I was about to send my perceptions further into the portal, I felt a sudden sense of danger. What if my perceptions made it to the other end and the portal closed? Could my consciousness literally be separated from my body? Would it kill me?

I didn’t take it a step further, but I didn’t have to in order to see to the other side. There was something there. I remembered the array formation I’d used in the Hallow Exchange. It seemed to be something similar, like an anchor that allowed the caster to return whenever they wished.

Another realization struck me. Lilith undoubtedly didn’t need such arrays. At least, not to port to Sanctuary. So why did she use one to return? Was it easier? More mana cost effective? Something else?

When I’d seen all there was to see, it felt like I was being dragged through space as my perceptions returned to my body in an instant.

It was then that I saw Lilith watching me from behind the portal as if she’d caught me being naughty. She gave me a wink, and then she was gone.

I quickly look at my popup, fearing I only gained partial understanding of the ability when a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

Colossal Blue Magic - Portaling

Level: 1

Rank: Novice

Cost: 1,000,000,000 MP

You now have the ability to activate a transportation portal between your current location and a known Transport Array in a limited range.

Progression: Range increases as your level. At higher ranks, the ability to create portals without the help of a target array unlocks. At the highest ranks, your portals will only be limited by the range of your perceptions. Unknown areas can be accessed.

Reading the progression details left me wide eyed. When I noticed Aeris, I spun the popup around before she could even ask.

“You need to get this to the top rank as fast as you can,” Aeris said, sharing my awe. “If you could teleport than you might be able to keep up.”

Holding her at an arms distance, I replied, “Is that a challenge?”

Her grin grew.

“Let me check it out,” Travis called, racing toward that corner that now had a cylindrical tunnel heading straight up. It was at least one hundred meters to the ceiling, so how exactly he planned on—

As my friend ran, his momentum built, but so did his form. Changing into a werewolf didn’t cause him to bulk out too terribly much. A few buttons of his shirt had to have popped loose. Once he neared the wall, he took a hopping step, landed on all fours, then exploded upward. He landed halfway up the wall before clawing at it with his hands and feet to scurry up it as if he’d done it all before. Within seconds, he’d disappeared into the tunnel with no signs of slowing down.

“On your marks,” Aeris sang.

“Wait,” I replied, taking off my suit jacket and placing it in my inventory before starting to unbutton my shirt.

“Get set,” she teased, lifting off from the ground to hover there while inching in the direction of the tunnel.

I sped my unbuttoning, but it wouldn’t be enough.

She started to float toward the tunnel at an ever-increasing speed.

I started running while finishing the last button.

“Go,” she cried.

My Crimson Incubus Form started to take shape before my shirt was completely off. I snagged its collar with the tip of my wing and used it to pull the shirt off before also placing it in my inventory.

Aeris hadn’t waited, and she wasn’t exaggerating. She was absurdly fast. She’d disappeared into the tunnel before the first flap of my wings. It was the first time I’d really seen her in action since my return, but it didn’t surprise me. I’d seen her stats.

Aeris

Level: 22,947

Health Points: 1,096,500

Current Mana: 6,006,600

Attributes

Strength: 2,171

Dexterity: 10,039

Constitution: 3,655

Intelligence: 10,011

Wisdom: 100,002

Despite being just under level 23,000, she had the stats of someone at level 25,000. More than that, there was something else that had changed when she’d reached 100,000 Wisdom.

Wind Wisp Domain

While in your Wind Wisp Form, the air around you becomes submissive to your will. The reach of your dominance is dependent on your Wisdom.

For every 10,000 Wisdom your domain increases by one meter in diameter in every direction.

As a Wind Mage, it seemed logical that Aeris should be weak at a melee distance. It was just the opposite. Especially for creatures that still relied on air to breathe. The moment they got close, she held their life in her hands.

I knew that wasn’t all. I’d seen how she’d created a whirlwind that gathered all of Nava’s humans except for Yeri and slammed them together. It was a reality of the Underworld I was forced to face. Once someone got a stat to 100,000, they became a force to be reckoned with. Aeris was simply more powerful than most at the same level.

Launching myself into the air, I flew straight upward, slowing my perception of time to look at the Head Mistress’s handiwork. I’d expected a petite hole that would fit her body, but the tunnel she’d created was wide enough that the Adolescent Metal Dragon could’ve easily fit. More than that, the rounded walls hadn’t been roughly hewn. They were smooth and even like those of an expert builder. Yet she’d done this all in seconds. As for how much rock she’d bored, it was at least a quarter mile to the Cavern Level.

When passing Travis, I watched in fascination as he bounded from one side of the tunnel to the other. My timing was good, so I shot passed him without disturbing his rhythm. As for catching Aeris, she had far too large of a lead. Was it possible for me to catch her if I buffed my form or used another? Maybe, but who’s to say she was going full speed?

When I shot through the surface of the Cavern Level, I climbed a few dozen meters into the vast cavern above Sanctuary. Aeris was there already spinning to take in the area.

“It’s enormous. Like its own world…” She said.

She was right. This region was much like Hallow without any walls surrounding it for added protection. The ceiling had to be close to a mile high and as for cavern walls, there were none that I could see. We were in the depths of the wilderness of the Cavern Level close to the Succubi Realm. Perhaps we were still in it.

As for landmarks, there were many. I remembered enough from Sanctuary’s map to know which direction I was facing. To the east was a pond. Possibly a lake. Even with mana sight, it stretched into the distance, out of my range. The north was rich in plant life. I wasn’t sure if you could call them trees, but the greenery stood more than twice as tall as a person, and I spotted a few man-sized mushrooms I thought I recognized. The west was filled with crags in the rock and hill-sized boulders scattered about. South was similar except the ground smoothed out. There was nothing that really caught my eye in that direction, but I’d traveled enough on the Cavern Level to know such smooth ground was abnormal.

Turning back to the lake, my face lit up. I’d yet to visit a body of water of any kind. It promised to hold creatures I’d yet to steal Blue Magic from and the essence of.

“I can’t help but to be excited,” Aeris said. “But is this really a good thing? Do you think it’s too soon?”

Our eyes met and I wasn’t sure what to tell her. “We were going to take everyone to the Cavern Level anyway to help them level. This just makes that easier. As for whether it’s too soon… I don’t know. With Master Khaba and the group from the Illuminated Cathedral, they should be able to hold it while we are gone. Will it be easy? Just because Lilith has allowed us to join the Succubi, doesn’t mean she’s done testing us. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t someone or something that lived nearby that we’d soon have to face.”

“That does sound like her. Should we start considering what to build?”

I turned my full attention to her. “This is our wedding night. There is no way I’m going to let you get into base building mode until tomorrow.”

She gave me an embarrassed look and motioned with her hand.

Just then our favorite metal werewolf pulled himself up from the edge. His jaw drooped and tongue was extended like a panting dog. There was no way he was winded with his recovery ability, but I threw him a Heal anyway. It was then that he glanced up and gave us a wolfish grin.

Before he had time to take in the sights, others started to join us. Jeremiah came next, leaping high into the air before landing much softer than seemed possible with his momentum. Before anything else, he placed his top hat back on his head. Holding onto its tip, he looked up and waved.

Master Khaba was next and landed in his powerful purple form. He too was still wearing his suit.

When Debra flew out of the tunnel at a leisurely pace, I focused on her mana use to confirm she was flying.

Aeris and I flew down to meet them.

They weren’t the last to ascend. Olivia followed, riding her vines like a giant spider-slug thing. It was creepy, but she too didn’t have to change outfits.

The final person to ascend was Mistress Nava. She road a cloud of dark mist. Almost immediately she spotted the forest area, then her head snapped to the lake. “Excellent location. You’re next to a water vein.”

I walked over and asked, “So it’s not a lake?”

“It is, but at the heart of it is a vein. The lake is call Folken Shores.” She then pointed north. “This forest is a part of the Moreerie Grove. It’s rich in resources, so the monsters here grow much stronger than below on the Dungeon Level. Speaking of monsters.” She turned back to the lake and smacked her lips. “I’m going fishing.”

The barefooted succubus left without giving us another thought. The lake was maybe a half mile away, so she decided to just walk.

“So…” Travis said, “Should we just cap the entrance to Sanctuary until we figure out what we’re going to do?”

“That’s unnecessary,” Khun replied, suddenly appearing in our midst. “I recommend a fortified reception hall. Think of it as a fortress within a fortress. Whatever you build around it will be your main defense, but you can always fall back here and escape underground.”

“It’s a good suggestion,” Jeremiah said, offering his wife his arm. “Just be sure to make something with a door. You wouldn’t want to lock this Mistress Nava out. You’ll need to keep someone on watch to let her in, but also to warn us in case a powerful monster is attacking.”

“My husband’s right,” Debra said, patting his arm. “A fortified building will be able to hold back most anything on the Dungeon Level, but someone at Nava’s level will find it more of an annoyance. It’s possible that this region holds monsters her equal.”

“Hold,” a familiar voice sounded that I hadn’t heard in a couple days.

“Shamash,” I greeted as he flew up from the tunnel like a skeleton rising from a crypt.

“Master Lich,” Jeremiah and Debra said with a bow of their heads.

Master Khaba echoed them.

Travis waved uncomfortably.

The lich mostly ignored us and said, “What you’re discussing isn’t a bad idea, but I have an offer. Elorion has already promised me that he will rebuild a tomb for the Ireki Wraith. I suggest we do it here and make it an integral part of your new city. Since I’m between contracts, I’ll set up a barrier that will keep any hostile creatures out. Then tomorrow, after the newlyweds consummate their union, we can carefully plan out the city’s layout.”

“City?” I questioned.

Everyone was sharing the same contemplative look.

“Oh yes,” Shamash replied. “Master Khun, what is the status of the dungeon?”

Khun snapped his fingers, and I received a popup window.

Sanctuary

DP: 4,474,000/4,800,000

Dungeon Rank – C

Power – C

Reach – C

Technology – D

Utilization – D

I expected a large number, but 4.8 million DP was equal to 48 million mana. Even then, it was less than my maximum. More than that, I’d given them far more Master Orbs than were accounted for. One was worth 4 million mana or 400,000 DP. The Mana Batteries I’d taken from the Wraith’s tomb gave us an additional 800,000 max DP. So only ten of the orbs were accounted for.

“Uh, Travis. Do you know why Russ only gave Khun ten Master Cores?” I asked.

“I can answer,” Khun said. “There are certainly ways for me to utilize more, but this is the number my pedestal can safely handle without upgrades. Instead of making the upgrade without you present, Russ decided to swap out orbs if any got low. In this way, my Dungeon Points have remained at satisfactory levels.”

“There will be time for that,” Shamash assured. “The point is that a small settlement can easily be run with a Dungeon Power of rank D. Rank C would allow for a town, but once the dungeon is upgraded to make use of more cores, your Power will reach rank B or higher. By correctly utilizing your Dungeon Aura, many creatures will want to settle here. Others will move into the area to take advantage of monsters being drawn. A well-run dungeon pays for itself.”

I found Jeremiah nodding.

“So for now, return to the party,” Shamash instructed. “Come and find me tomorrow when you’re ready to get started.”

Aeris held the same expression I did. We were both excited about all the possibilities, but we needed our time together.

“Thank you, Shamash,” I said, taking Aeris’s hand. “Thank you all for coming here so quickly. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, I marched toward the tunnel.

My wife yelped but didn’t object.

I heard laughter and well-wishes, but I didn’t stop. Before we reached the edge of the tunnel, Aeris pulled away and darted into it. I chased her all the way to our room.