Deathforged Dungeon [Dungeon Core litRPG] Book 1

Jack looked out over the ash tray that was his land, now littered with partly mangled bodies. Scrapper was growling angrily, standing tall and proud, ready to rend the would-be challenger, cables and steely muscle flexing beneath the plating that was his skin. Ready to fight the larger opponent to the death for daring to trespass. Jack felt the malice coming from his new mount, and he couldn't agree more with Scrapper's sentiment.

Jack nudged his titan to move more towards the side, creating a wide berth between his fight and the rest of the battle. No telling who might get crushed when two mechanical monsters were trying to kill each other.

Scrapper obliged the guidance, his piercing eyes never leaving the giant manticore. Dipping his head to pick up a large stone with his maw. The manticore also followed along with the choice to move to the side. Whips of acrid smoke left its own maw, its claws crackling with an electric charge that left furrows in the ground with each step.

The tension grew between them despite the scorched earth that separated them. The invader's army moved while watching the showdown, waiting on bated breath while Jack's forces were waiting for their next set of orders. Orders that had not yet come from Aegisthal, who was busy assessing the situation.

Jack though had no mind for them or the enemy soldiers. There was only the commander and his mechanized war machine.

"Scrapper," Jack said, gaining part of his mount's attention. "Kill it."

With the order, Scrapper lowered himself down, placing one foot back and the other forward with a heavy thud, resting the talons of his forelimbs to the ground for stability.

Then he opened his maw.

The inside of Scrapper's throat and maw began to light up with the enchantments Jack gave him. Complex magic circles materialized to float within his maw and the large stone he picked up floated within their center. The energy and glow from within Scrapper's maw grew bright quickly, the power charge built up just as fast. The sound of his charge was that of a low hum for the first second. Then it became shriller, raising in pitch, until it warped and distorted. A screeching, crackling horror of sound that pierced the ears, yet a low reverberation made the ground shake. Only when the charge was complete two seconds after the buildup, a cacophonous explosion left Scrapper's maw. The rock exploded in a shower of fragments and shrapnel that cut through the air at incredible speed. The stone fragments cut into the ground wherever they impacted.

The chimera's wings extended, folding while it crouched to move the slabs to make a shield to protect itself and its rider. The sharp fragments left scratches and cuts against the thick aged metal or ricocheted off its surface. Many of the invader's army near the chimera construct were immediately skewered or shredded by shrapnel.

Scrapper took off in a full sprint after his opening attack, tucking his forelimbs to his chest and Jack holding on for dear life, the earth quaking under his bounding steps. The chimera revealed itself from behind its shielding wings, its maw containing an inferno. The rider, now clear to see, wore an ugly grin on his face.

"Dodge!" Jack ordered, casting Stone Needles at the rider of the manticore.

Scrapper pivoted hard to the side, threatening to throw Jack off. The Stone Needles he fired missed their target while an inferno brushed past Scrapper, making him glow from the residual heat while the inferno flew past into the distance. Meanwhile, the two armies dispersed and moved further away to engage each other or risk being crushed.

Scrapper showed no care that his side had been superheated, showing no pain to the fire while swinging his tail. The barbs on the sides deployed, threatening to pierce the construct's chest, forcing it to jump back to avoid having its machine heart pierced. Yet the barb scraped across its armored plating, bringing its shield wings forward just in time to stop Scrapper's claws. Sparks flew through the air from metal scraping metal.

Jack threw an Electric Bolt at the construct, hoping to electrify it enough to get at the rider.

The charge, however, didn't travel far enough to reach the monster on the war machine. The charge instead went to the ground through its feet and claws. Its scorpion stinger tail shot forward with the speed of a ballista bolt toward Scrapper's head, the point scraping across Scrapper's jaw leaving a deep scrape in Scrapper's face, making the prehistoric predator backstep to get some distance.

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The two titans circled each other, each trying to gauge the other now that they both left their marks. Both looked for a weakness or an opening that they could press but had yet to find one.

"Your pet is strong," called out the Rider of the Chimera war machine, standing and leaning back on the Chimera while holding a chain in their left hand for security. In their right hand was a rather ugly-looking axe that bled sickening magic. They seemed to be some kind of troll, one far larger than he was used to seeing. Yet in his beady eyes, there was an intelligence and malice that felt unsettling for Jack. "Do you speak, undead, or can your master hear through you?"

"I have no master, fugly!" Jack called back. "Get the fuck out of my dungeon or you and your army will die here!"

The troll howled with laughter, a deep and ugly thing that sounded delighted at Jack's threat.

"You amuse me, friend!" The troll laughed more. "Why not join me? I need a new commander. My pet could also use a playmate. Join and we could conquer this land and claim the lost prizes of the ancients. See them all scream and bow before us as their true masters. Let us shed the blood of those self-important fools, together!"

Jack did not like how that sounded. He liked the expression of joy on the troll's face even less. The troll meant every word. He truly believed in everything he just said. He wanted to see the world burn. Jack might be an undead, a master of an undead and construct dungeon. But the troll… he worshiped death and wanton suffering.

He was a monster.

Jack used his dungeon ability to quickly bolster his forces. He activated his Reanimate Dead and raised the newly minted dead that were the troll's soldiers. The bodies rose up to cause disorder among the ranks. Dozens upon dozens of undead were raised to start attacking some of their former comrades in arms. Instead of angering the troll, though, he only laughed harder with that ugly, hate-filled grin.

"I see! Then let me show you why you should serve me!" the troll called out, driving his war machine to attack.

The Chimera lunged then, charging Scrapper and Jack to try and take them off guard.

Scrapper had other ideas.

The mechanized monster jumped up with his tail swinging down, crashing into the chimera's head with such force that one of its eyes broke. Yet the chimera didn't relent—it swiped its own tail at Scrapper's feet, tripping the mechanized prehistoric titan to fall to his side, shaking the earth beneath his bulk, his feet kicking to try and find purchase. The Chimera took the chance to pounce atop, trying to bite Scrapper's throat only to be stopped by his forelimbs catching it by the shoulders. Both Jack and the troll were thrown from their perch as the two titans rolled and fought.

Prone on the ground, Jack pushed himself up to see the troll was already up and leaning on his axe. A shallow cut on his side under his ribs courtesy of what looked to be the handiwork of a rock that he landed on.

A deep growl and more subtle laugh came from the troll, and from how close he was, Jack saw that this one was especially large. His wound was already sealing itself before Jack's eye sockets.

"Your pet fights well," the troll growled with an all-too-pleased smile, pushing himself up full to tower over Jack despite the space between them. "Tell me your name. I wish to know the name of my new subordinate after I beat you."

"Your name first, fugly!" Jack answered back, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Ha ha ha! Yes. For one lacking flesh, you have no shortage of nerve," the troll laughed. "I am Ig—"

His words were cut short as Jack cast his spell Haunting Wail. He sent out a focused wave of horrid scream. The sound wave shook the ground, kicked up ash and dust, striking the troll like a wall rushing to meet him. He continued the spell for a full second, bombarding the troll to try and weaken him as much as he could. Activating his ability Chilling Aura to further give himself any advantage he could. By the time he stopped, he found the troll was crouched on one knee, using the belly of his axe as a shield to protect his head. When he lowered the axe, he was still grinning from ear to ear.

"Hehe, man after my own heart," he said with sickening delight.

After seeing that the troll was not affected with fear or took any notable physical damage, Jack used his Essence Scrying ability on the troll.

Ooooooooooh… Fuck me. Jack thought to himself, just before a large fist sent him spinning