“Of course I will,” Keaton said emphatically. “That’s not going to change.”
“Good.” She bit her lip, looking up at him for a time before she turned toward the crystal. “I think it’s time for you to check in on your progress, my lord. We have made many strides since that first day.”
“We have,” he said with a smile, stepping up to the dais.
The crystal hummed as soon as he was near, the sound matching its beating heart. Keaton placed his gauntlet upon it and checked for The Labyrinth’s new information.
The Labyrinth currently holds 11 functional rooms: Crystal Chamber, Workshop, Private Bedroom, Barracks, Mushroom Farm, Forge, Alchemy Workshop, Armory, Storage Facility.
The Labyrinth is currently home to 39 minions.
You have bonded with 2 lieutenants.
Your current power level is 5.
More information displayed soon after.
You currently command two dungeons: The Labyrinth, The Slithering Crypts.
Total Dungeon Size: 62/200
Keaton continued looking through the crystal’s information. He moved around the map, mentally planning where his next rooms would go. Then he used Lord’s Sight to check in on some of his minions.
He was about to do a deeper dive and take an inventory of all the resources gathered and what his minions had built thus far when Cassia’s voice pulled him from his concentration.
“Nobody wants to drink without the man of the hour there,” she said, seeming far closer and louder than Keaton would have anticipated.
As he drew his hand away from the crystal, he realized why: She was standing right next to him, her breasts at eye level. A shock of heat ran through his blood, and he idly wondered if he’d ever stop wanting either of his lieutenants.
He hoped not. Especially when Cassia gave him a knowing grin.
“Later,” she whispered. “Maybe I’ll even let some of my girls join in this time.”
Keaton cleared his throat, trying not to let that consume his thoughts. He looked to Adriana who wore a small smirk, then back to Cassia. His trusted lieutenants. His friends. His lovers.
He would never have imagined having them in his life, but now he couldn’t imagine going on without them. Grinning, Keaton looped an arm about both of them.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s celebrate!”
That night, as Keaton slept off far too much wine, he was visited again.
He’d expected the daemon to show herself at some point. He’d done what she wanted, after all. Maybe she’d stop toying with him now. Or maybe she’d toy with him even more. Either way, when he caught the scent of cinnamon and cardamom, he was prepared.
She walked toward him in her normal manner, seeming to glide, her feet barely touching the ground. This time her golden skin cast a light that illuminated his entire room, spreading to reach the walls. As she grew closer, Keaton had to shield his eyes. He strained against it, trying to see. After a moment, he realized that light was coming from her.
“You have been a very useful partner, darling,” she purred, one long finger trailing over his arm.
“I’m not sure I would call this arrangement a partnership.”
“No?” She leaned forward, her breasts swinging into his view. “Well then, why don’t we deepen our relationship, hm? Why don’t we stop dancing around what you must know to be true.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Keaton said, eying her warily.
Some part of him wondered if it was possible to kill a daemon. It had to be. They weren’t immortal beings, just very long-lived.
“Come now, Keaton. Daemons make deals, but the powers they grant are always poor imitations of the real thing. They cannot truly tap into Anima. Their spirits do not align with it.”
He’d heard that, but he thought it was just a warning. A cautionary tale to keep people from trusting in them.
“What are you saying, then? Be straight with me, just this once.”
Her lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. She stepped back from him, and Keaton watched as the light grew even brighter.
“You wish to know the truth? Oh, my darling. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”
Her voice changed from that smooth, seductive purr to something far more threatening. Something that seemed to come from all around him, defying explanation.
The light that poured out of the daemon grew brighter still, until Keaton couldn’t stand it anymore. He turned his face away, holding his arm up to block out the light as he blinked away the afterimage. The sound of glass shattering caught his attention, though, and when he looked back the daemon’s image was in thousands of pieces, each suspended in the space where she’d stood, blasted outward from a center point before being drawn back in.
They reformed into a terrifying shape, settling into the elongated torso of a woman, her body covered in markings, her face home to several pairs of eyes, all of them fixed on Keaton. Further down, the lower body of the daemon was gone, replaced by a thorax, a bulbous abdomen, and eight legs.
As he took in the entire image of her, Keaton suddenly understood. He’d seen paintings during his brief education. He’d even glimpsed a temple erected in her favor before the city tore it down, citing heresy.
She wasn’t a daemon at all. She was a literal goddess.
Itrix, Goddess of Chaos.
Spurned by her siblings. Rejected by the religions of the land. Regarded as the most dangerous entity in existence.
And she had complete control over his fate.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you so much for reading Lord of Monsters. This is my first foray into harem LitRPG, so if you enjoyed the book, would you please consider leaving a review? It’s a huge help to debut authors.
Book 2 will be coming soon. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by Nick Vandran.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
