Season 4 Chapter 9: Trouble Brewing.

  Make sure he is taken care of. I sent, ordering Slimey to oversee Luke as I oversaw the deployment of my troops. Despite wanting to drop everything to be there for my descendant, I unfortunately had other problems to deal with.

  “As you will it my Lord,” Slimey said, bowing deeply before the doppelganger melted into the floor that was a part of her body. Now that I think about it, nearly every inch of my new dungeon was covered in slime, a thin layer that mimicked the stalagmites and earthen interior.

  If anyone entered, I knew about it. If someone bad-mouthed me, I knew about it. Every being in my domain now under the watchful eye of my Champion.

  The perfect surveillance system.

  Speaking of surveillance, my army was growing. Well, more like evolving.

  Six of Ayaka’s tarantula broods had changed into phase spiders. Adding more little teleporters to my army to ease supply transport. Thanks to Slimey’s suggestion of saturating the little pests with manacite and exposing them to mana, more of them were changing into the magical variant rather than the armored and commander types.

  In a way, it was almost like I was breeding them.

  Twenty more goblins had evolved, nine into goblin knights with the rest turning into goblin bruiser’s thanks to Simp’s interference. Sadly, I hadn’t gotten another goblin paladin, but I DID get a goblin shaman. A little magically gifted goblin who ran around with a stone duck on his head.

  I hadn't named him yet, as he wasn't one of my chosen, but I was curious as to how he would evolve without my influence

  Then there were the undead of my army, Hector had hit level twenty as a skeleton rogue thanks to allowing him to hunt down the inquisitors that tried to sneak in. Ironically, making him evolve into a special undead variant of the same thing he was hunting.

  Hector: Skeleton Rogue LvL: 17 -> Skeleton Inquisitor LvL 1

  HP: 1350/1350 -> 2000/2000

  MP: 45/45 -> 60/60

  Skills: Undead.

  Swift Step LvL 4 ->5

  Uncanny Dodge LvL 2 ->4

  Play Dead LvL 1 -> 2

  Inconspicuous

  Acrobatic

  Trap Finding LvL 1 ->3

  Dash LvL 4 ->4

  Scarlet Kisses LvL 3

  Detect Prized Possession LvL 2 ->5

  Pilfer LvL 2 ->3

  Critical Damage LvL 1 ->3

  Concealment LvL 4 -> 8

  Souls Vision LvL 1 -> 3

  Mana Economy LvL 1 ->2

  Accelerate LvL 2 ->3

  He also got two new skills, Magic Repel and Mark, the first skill allowing him to resist spells while the latter placed a magical mark on his target, enabling him to track his target no matter where they went. A nifty skill, especially for any catch and release operation. Unfortunately the other skeletons had only evolved into skeleton soldiers, making them sturdier but not partically special.

  As for my other commanders, there wasn’t much in the way of any notable change. Every slime that had been under my command were now one with Slimey, freeing up my slots to create additional commanders. There was just one problem with that.

  The lack of XP.

  There weren’t any monsters around! The problem with being in civilized territory was that it was pretty… well, civilized, meaning that humans were generally pretty terrible for experience unless they were adventurers or trained mercenaries. Also, kidnapping and killing random people was generally bad for staying in incognito, although… the thought did occur to me to just replace the people with Slimey but that was WAY too risky. What if they discovered their loved one was a slime?! The last thing I needed was more eyes on me in this crucial moment.

  Instead, to equip my companions with XP, Slimey had been busy snapping up random raiders, muggers, and convicts. Once captured, these brigands were made into fertilizer or thrown into one of Gobledo’s training camps to give the younger goblins a chance to fight live prey while blowing off steam.

  Cruel? Maybe, but they were criminals! Plus they were doing a service to society by helping me help others!

  Ehem, anyway, once I got a foothold into the mountains all of my problems would be fixed as I turned my attention to my commanders gathered before my throne.

  Hector, donned in a shroud of black, his skeletal frame now dark as midnight that blended into the shadows of his mantle that obscured his face save for his glowing eyes that brimmed blue energy. Despite being undead, I could see feel an emotion from him, singular in thought really, the only notion in his dead mind was the word, Hunt.

  Beside him, Ayaka, the drider, now the height of a teenage human. Clad in chitin with a wooden staff taken from a random adventurer to boost her magical focus, her pale skin contrasted heavily with her black lower body covered in chitin armor stitched with fine spider silk and layered with metal plates on her eight legs. Still, her size was nothing compared to the Tarantual behemoth that hovered near her at all times.

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  Next, Gobledo, clad in the armor of the former paladin known as Danse with alterations by way of spider silk and metal plates, his armor was more akin to a samurai’s to better go with the muramasa he wore well. After all, a man in generic knight armor felt weird wielding a katana so I made a little tweaks to his get-up. Not that he complained, if anything my total amount of faith had actually been boosted from my gift!

  Lastly, as usual, there was Slimey, the woman in the vestments of my fallen descendant slightly altered by spider-silk and reinforced with metal plates. Weird? Oh absolutely, but you try taking a cherished gift from a fifteen-thousand-gallon slime capable of zapping you with electricity or mimicking anyone you lov-

  Huh? Wait.

  Hector. Slimey. Gobledo. And Ayaka/

  One two three… four.

  Wait. Hector, Slimey, Gobledo, Ayaka and…

  I counted the row of my commanders once more.

  Slimey.

  “Yes milord?”

  Where's Dave?

  Slimey shifted her head, sweeping her senses like a wave through the cave that passed over the heads of the legion of armored goblins standing at the ready.

  Dave wasn't here. In fact, now that my bond with Slimey was at an all-time high, I could feel her sending out pulses in search of the four-armed crystaline lizard who wasssss missing.

  Great. Whats the point of rollcall if you don’t show up?!

  I reached out to the seven foot tall scaly monster girl, our connection dull but strong. She was near, somewhere above in Berus’s home but not in my dungeon.

  Dave?

  I could feel her stirring, a sense of groggy bliss that was fading rapidly as her usually grumpy depressive nature took hold.

  Great…

  Is there a reason you aren't at rollcall? I sent, only to get a one word response back.

  Eepy.

  Of course.

  Yes. I get that you're sleepy, but where are you?! We're getting ready to go wa-

  Back to eep.

  The connection cut, the monster now asleep much to Slimey's discontent. Wait, did I say discontent? I mean BLOODCURLING RAGE!

  However, she held it well, the only visible indicator of her anger being the fact that the entire dungeon was now glowing red.

  “A gate? When did they install a door here?”

  Oh crap!

  My attention turned from Dave to the entrance of my domain, a certain paladin scowling at the stone edifice I had installed as a checkpoint to stall Berus or any of her scouts from surprise inspections.

  Which was working, just at the MOST ABSOLUTE inconvenient of times.

  Berus was aware of my minions, yes, she knew I had some powerhouses under my command with a retinue of goblin knights at my beck and call. What she didn’t know was the exact extent of my army and the operations. The copious armaments at my disposal or the fact I was capturing other monsters and indoctrinating them into my growing forces that already numbered to nearly a thousand beasts.

  “Do we knock?” Donut said, turning her head towards her master who frowned.

  “In my own home? What nonsense,” Berus said before kicking in the door.

  Rude.

  Great. Slimey! Intercept!

  A malicious grin appeared on her face, her murderous intent clear as day.

  With words! Do not harm them! I sent, deflating her mood instantaneously as she turned into a puddle to greet our guests.

  Everyone else! Scatter!

  Ever seen a hundred armored monsters flee in random directions? Pretty comical.

  ****

  “Lord Hiro, Lady Berus and her adjutant,” Slimey said, announcing the pair as they arrived in my domain.

  Great. Just what I needed, if I used my minion sync skill now I'd have to wait several hours to reuse my ability, meaning it wouldn't be ready for the march upon the HeartForge.

  So, instead I had Slimey acting as me once again as angry stomping could be heard.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” My copy said, sitting laid back with a bored expression.

  “I'm here to address your…” Berus eyed her surroundings, her bushy brow lowering on her head as her jaw clenched subtly.

  The paladin could sense something was wrong. That I was certain of, but what exactly did she know? I wouldn't know without probing her mind.

  “Paladin Berus?” My copy said, pulling Berus from her stupor.

  “Ehem. I wish to address your monster’s use of my home and territory,” Berus said before nodding to Donut who produced a scroll and handed it to Slimey who checked the contents before handing it to my copy. “Within is a list of complaints leveed by my staff. As well as some remarks from farmers and peasants who have noticed your activities in the area.”

  My activities? For a moment I was worried that my kidnapping had been noticed, but as far as I knew Slimey hadn't been around any village and the bandits she had captured were normally taken.

  “Activities?”

  “Your… monster hunting. I thought we agreed that you would remain hidden. Yet I've been getting reports of monsters on the surface attacking other monsters,” Berus said, her gaze darting left and right, a look of unease clear on her face as Donut mean mugged me.

  Oops.

  Looks like I haven't been as clandestine as I'd like… well, so long as she assumed I was cleaning out the trash rather than recruiting it was fine I spose.

  Berus cleared her throat.

  “There is… also the use of my home. As my guest, you are free to make use of my manor. However the use of my home as a sti by your minions is proving to be… troublesome for my servants.”

  Ah, she must be talking about Dave.

  Great another headache. Judging from how red Berus and Donut looked it was clear they were upset.

  “Will they prove to be a problem?”

  At my doppelganger’s question, Berus shook her head lightly.

  “My servants know to keep their lips sealed.”

  “Then what's the problem?”

  Berus clenched her jaw, “Your presence makes them uncomfortable. There is also the fact that your lizard has been depleting my cupboards and sleeping in the storeroom my chefs use.”

  Ah, so that's where she was.

  “I see. I will fetch for my lizard and limit my minion’s access to the surface. Is that all?”

  “I…” Berus seemed to hesitate. “I have also come to tell you that an envoy for the Princess will be here in a week’s time.”

  “Okay. Is that all?”

  “Yes.” Berus said through clenched teeth before turning and left, moving somehow faster than when she did when she had entered.

  Wow. She's fuming.

  Tracking her every movement, I could feel she was upset. Had Slimey been that offensive? Or was it something else I did? Whatever the case maybe I should try a peace offering to make her feel better?

  ****

  At the tip of the stairway that led to her basement and then to Hiro's dungeon, Berus finally exhaled.

  “Y-you felt that too?” Donut said, the woman sweating profusely, face flush with eyes dilated as her hands clenched.

  “Yes,” Berus said, squeezing her eyes shut to stabilize her breathing.

  She had never felt such powerful bloodlust. Not from any demon, monster, or foe she had ever faced. More than that, the holy power emanating from the dungeon was… intense. Almost as if she had stepped into the Royal Cathedral itself. It had started out small at first, but the closer she got into the dungeon… the more she could feel sacred power oozing from every surface.

  “What… what should we do milady?”

  “I…”

  For the first time ever, Berus didn't know. Only that she had invited a dangerous monster into her home with the hopes of using it only for it to slip it's leash.