The Guild Core: The Complete Saga Boxset: A LitRPG Dungeon Adventure

by TJ Reynolds

  They cried out in agony as their flesh burned away from the bone. More soldiers poured in behind them and hacked the slimes apart and other spearmen brought the bats down quickly. The damage had been done, however. Two more enemies, their thighs cooked through, along with part of their torsos, lay dead on the ground.

  Pines cursed under his breath, but he didn’t need to amplify the feelings of resentment and rage building in his troops. They were angry, giving Ban cause to rejoice.

  Angry men do stupid things. And I’ll need plenty of stupid to avoid disaster this night, Ban muttered to himself.

  Pines took the lead down the stairwell, taking every precaution. The invaders moved slow; the only sound that could be heard in the dungeon was their breath rasping in the cool air. When they came to the bottom, Pines held his arm out. “Careful,” he warned, gesturing to the waterfall chasm. “This is meant to throw us off, and it still may if we aren’t careful. We should be able to cross if we help each other.”

  Yet even as a woman peered down into the crack in the floor, light from her torch glittering off the waterfall, three Ether Bats flew in her face. She slipped backward, dropping her torch, which sizzled out in the water.

  Her screams lasted but a second before she disappeared into the underground waterway.

  The Sergeant was furious and the bats were brought down soon enough. Still, Ban had killed his first enemy with a trap. He felt proud as anything.

  In a boring and yet respectable manner, the soldiers crossed the chasm safely. Sergeant Pines took a length of rope out from his pack and threw it across. A small iron hook caught a bit of stone further away.

  Then he leapt the chasm, holding the rope in case he could not make the jump. Yet Pines was powerful, and he sailed over the chasm and landed firmly on his feet.

  The rest of the soldiers made the jump, one at a time, even the weaker ones sailing easily across as he yanked powerfully on the other end of the rope.

  The invaders came at last to the fork in his dungeon. Two corridors ran in one direction, and in the other, his false core room.

  Pines ordered, his voice all business, “Let’s be thorough. Three men scout out each tunnel. The rest wait here for now. Roarke, Trevor, with me.”

  Ban held his breath as they made their way into the tunnels.

  Eleven men remained. Too many, he feared, to come at his boss monster.

  Pines almost stepped into one of the floor traps, but jumped over it at the last minute. Blast it. He’s not going to die so easily. Then the Small Chitterling ambushed the man, shoving him into the side of the tunnel. He cursed and cut through several of the creature’s legs then plunged his sword into its head. The spider-like monster died in a gush of ichor.

  Two Amethyst Vipers struck at Pines, but Roarke was standing near and swept the head off of one. Pines managed to dodge the other and then cut the snake to ribbons.

  The dungeon would have been terrified at the men’s success if it weren’t for the howls of pain coming from the other passage. A spearman had stepped into the floor trap, allowing the chitterling to cover his face with stab wounds before ripping out his throat. While two other soldiers stepped in to cut the beast down, each were bit by the vipers.

  It was an ideal catastrophe!

  They managed to kill off Ban’s minions, but fell to the ground, paralyzed, shortly thereafter. Another soldier went in and reported what befell these three, and after another minute of cursing, Pines ordered the advance.

  Finally, the group made its way into Ban’s false core room, and the blue light emanating from the center had them all sighing with amazement. The louts. If they could only see my real core, they’d know true beauty, he grumbled, but had no intention of letting them do so.

  “Focus! There’s only eight of us left. If we don’t shivver the blasted dungeon, we’ll all be kicked out of the Guard! Now pull your heads out of your arses and stop dying!” Pines growled.

  The remaining soldiers shone with a greater degree of energy, their cores filled with much more ether than those who had already fallen. This was the backbone of their patrol. Ban’s success could not be counted yet, by any means.

  A woman with a sword and a nasty scar across her face crept forward, wary of any movement or sound. Ban waited patiently until he felt certain his minions could surprise the invaders, then struck. Five Monstrous Rats raced out between the troops and five Ether Bats flew above them.

  As he’d hoped, the effect was chaos.

  The minions were killed savagely, but the distracted soldiers didn’t see the two Sludge Hounds until they were already upon them. Three Greater Slugs slid out from shadowed nooks, slapping at the soldiers with their slimy appendages.

  Ban wanted to giggle with exhilarated mirth as another spearman fell, the Sludge Hounds tearing his throat out. The woman was injured, two of the rats pushing her down and tearing at her thighs.

  All around, cuts and bruises were distributed equally, and by the time the last of the dungeon’s minions were dead, the seven surviving soldiers gasped for breath, their eyes wild with fear.

  “Well we’ve made it. Let’s see that core and then crush it,” Pines sighed. “Davy, make it happen.”

  A man walked forward, the only one in the group carrying a hammer. His considerable bulk made him a logical choice for the weapon.

  He walked toward the false core set into a stone depression. It was then that his eye caught the stunning artwork Ban spent so many hours on. Flowering vines wove in an intricate pattern, circling inward toward the core. He had infused them with ether, so the patterns glowed and sparkled faintly.

  Davy’s breath caught as he studied the beauty, and Ban hoped, if for even a single moment, the man might have considered turning back, staying his hand and allowing the dungeon to live peacefully. But before the soldier had a chance to make his choice, he fell through the floor, shouting in terror, and landed in the gargen’s lair.

  Pines and the other soldiers did not know where he had gone, but they could hear the man’s voice below them, muffled and horrified. “What? What are you? No. Hey, just leave me alone! No! Please!” His words stopped and he died screaming, the gargens swarming him with vicious intent.

  Another soldier walked forward more carefully, and peered into the recess, discovering Ban’s trickery with the false core. “It isn’t even here, Pines! This is just a damn trap! How many of us are we gonna lose?”

  Fear in his eyes, a second soldier nodded, adding, “Yeah! Can’t we just turn back already? This is crazy.”

  The Sergeant’s face went red. Embarrassment maybe, but certainly anger, clouded his senses even more. “We can’t turn back. If we do, Hastings will string us all up!”

  A moment’s pause was all it took for the blustery retort to be met with further dissent.

  “No way!”

  “You’ll be strung up, maybe. This was your call, Pines.”

  “I say let’s get out of here.”

  Roarke cut in, a look of disgust on his face. “Not shivving likely! I’ll tell Hastings how you all wanted in on this. We are not turning back! Cowards aren’t allowed in the Vermillion Guard. Look, there’s one tunnel from here, and it leads to the core room. We’ll be fine. The strongest of us still live.”

  As the young man spoke, shame crept onto the faces of the soldiers. Still, they were not swayed. “And besides,” Roarke continued, “am I the only one in here who has already gained a level? The Progression is outstanding. What awaits us when the core itself is smashed?”

  The soldiers slowly nodded their assent. “Fine then. We’re with you, Sergeant, as always. But let’s be quick about it,” Pines’ second ordered, the woman Ban had admired, her voice cold and fierce.

  It was with the heavy weight of death or dishonor on their shoulders, that Pines and his five remaining soldiers marched into the last room standing between them and Ban’s core.

  Ban allowed them to enter fully, let them take a good long look around the old training room. We
apons still glinted on the wall. The burble of Kai’s bath swirled in the background. Throughout, thick columns of stone connected floor to ceiling, and in between, shadows fell ominously.

  “Keep together,” Pines commanded, “I don’t think we’re alone in here.” He took the lead. The group went through the middle of the room, their backs to each other in a defensive formation.

  When the columns forced the intruders into a line, Ban ordered two of his Amethyst Rakes to attack the soldiers at the rear of the party. The scaled rodents flashed out from the shadows, sinking their fangs into the two men at the rear of the formation.

  The rakes, like the viper they inherited their fangs from, were venomous.

  Spears plunged through Ban’s minions’ bodies, spilling their entrails across the dungeon floor, but soon, two more soldiers fell.

  Three more rakes shot out, slamming into the group from the opposite side. Roarke bravely slashed one’s throat out, killing it before it had a chance to bring down Freya, but the other two dove at the last spearman. The man howled in pain then fell limp as their venom filled his body. Pines fought beside Roarke and together, the two of them managed to kill the last of the rakes.

  Foolishly they shared a look of triumph with each other.

  Then the Stone Houndzard emerged.

  The beast roared as it charged, pushing Roarke down to the ground and tearing his belly open with a single bite.

  The young man pushed at the boss’s maw, but his hands were cleaved off in his attempts. He died quietly with a look of pale terror painted on his face.

  Ban didn’t feel even a bit sorry for him.

  In a fit of bravery, Freya lashed out, cutting a deep gash down the side of the houndzard’s neck, dark blood splashing out and covering the ground.

  The monster recoiled before tearing gouges in the woman’s throat and chest with its razor claws. She fell, clutching her wounds.

  For a brief moment, Ban felt a tiny stab of remorse. She’d been the only one with the sense and restraint to advise against the attack.

  Poor leadership leads to disaster, Ban noted and focused on the final threat left alive.

  Taking advantage of the beast’s distraction, Pines leapt out and stabbed the houndzard in its eye. The boss monster roared and snapped at the Sergeant. Claws raked his leg, but the man was strong. He braced himself and thrust again, the tip of his sword finally crashing through the houndzard’s skull and into its brain.

  It convulsed and twitched, dying moments later.

  Ban’s boss was dead.

  “Is that it? Or do you have a bleeding dragon in here too?!” Pines screamed as he limped away from the boss’ corpse. He hobbled towards Ban’s Core Chamber, the passageway obvious.

  What do I do? I am lost! I am lost! Panic blossomed like a fiery flower in Ban’s mind. The dungeon could not summon any new minions. If only he could reforge his champion, but the countdown was still a few hours away! And summoning reinforcements while an enemy was still within the dungeon was not possible. Another ancient rule forbade it.

  Kai! Ban called out lamely. Where in the blasted lands are you? He knew the cries for help were useless but could not help himself.

  Fear was a terrible thing.

  Pines leaned against the stone doorway at one end of the training hall to catch his breath for a moment.

  He was seriously wounded, deep gouges marred his thigh, but the man would not die, not soon enough at least.

  He would have easy access to shivver the Earth Core who had annihilated his entire platoon.

  “I see your light, dungeon. I hope you’ve had lots of fun,” the veteran soldier sneered. “It’s over now.”

  The man limped down the short corridor, turning the final corner to see the embarrassingly simple Core Chamber Ban hadn’t had time to adorn or defend.

  The Sergeant laughed to himself, a terrible, rasping sound, filled with regret, loathing, and self-pity. Suddenly, he stopped.

  What was that? Ban wondered.

  The man turned back as he heard what Ban had, a skittering noise from the training hall. It was the sound of claw on stone. Ban looked behind the Sergeant and saw as he did, a pack of snarling gargen.

  They swept around the man’s legs, knocking him to the ground. The soldier’s sword slipped from his grip, so he fell to punching the beasts. A few of his blows landed, hurling the tiny monsters across the chamber to smack against the stone wall and fall limp at its base. But then, Mowie flung herself upon Pines’ chest, wielding her prized steel daggers.

  She slammed them both down into the sides of his neck.

  Pines died soundlessly, the fierce gargen leader tearing through his vocal cords before he could scream.

  Victory! Ban exulted, his core flashing brilliantly in its chalice, as waves of relief swept through him. Sweet victory and none too soon! I will be forging new daggers for this lot, he promised, his mind reeling from near disaster.

  The gargens danced around the invader’s corpse, cutting away prize bits of his flesh—whether to keep as trinkets or for their night’s meal, Ban did not know.

  Nor did he care.

  He was safe, and soon he would re-summon his champion and find his dear dragon friend.

  The gratitude and relief pulsing through his core was to be expected. But what surprised the Earth Core most, was the sheer delight he experienced in taking the lives of so many foul men.

  So, as the gargen babbled triumphantly, and the final intruder’s blood leaked out over the base of Ban’s dais, the dungeon sang the only song that came to mind.

  Riddance, riddance, die away.

  Bodies fall and blood does spray.

  Oh, hear ‘em fall and make ‘em pay

  For the Bloody Band will win the fight!

  43

  Breaking the Ice

  Kai

  This time, when the Earth Core sapped the Progression from Kai’s body, his vision turned ether-blue as he screamed, the pale energy bleeding from his eyes and mouth. It felt like a river of ice was leeching his life away.

  Pain was all he knew.

  Rhona held him up from behind. With her strength alone they stood, his hand still glued to the surface of the Earth Core. Protected as he was by his Core Mender accolade, Kai wasn’t fortunate enough to pass out this time, and because of that, he saw many things.

  The swamp was as it was supposed to be, sprawling and wild, free of the black, seeping rot that plagued it now. Creatures, vibrant and alive, crawled among the reeds, and at its center, Imogen sat. She was tucked deep inside her dungeon.

  A wise Earth Core, among the oldest, this far south. Her dragon had green scales, the color of moss burning in sunlight. She was a kindly dragon, a warrior, though one of compassion and wisdom. Inal never used her claw or fang to bring harm to any creature if doing so didn’t serve a greater purpose.

  And perhaps that was why she lacked the strength to defend herself when the soldiers came.

  Images of the dungeon’s creation, decades of careful study and sharing the joy of creating with her dragon, flicked through Kai’s searing mind.

  The joy and truth of the memories were, in part, what held him together. Madness tugged insistently at his sleeve, like an obnoxious child, but he held it at bay, knowing that he was healing this beautiful creature.

  Time passed and Imogen’s dragon, Inal, grew concerned about the Hintari war with Brintosh and Kaltan. Other dragons came to Imogen’s dungeon, holding a council in the hopes of finding some solution. Inal argued they should head deep into Hintar—to aid that country and to fight with them against their oppressors.

  A young, golden-scaled dragon, weak of body but strong of mind, cautioned the other dragons against the folly of such a plan. Yorick warned that the humans would turn on them.

  The council decided upon another plan.

  They sent messengers to tell the other dungeons of potential dangers to come. If the dragons should not return, it meant the armies of Brintosh and Kaltan would soon
march on the dungeons, slay their minions, and shivver their cores.

  Imogen was afraid and increased the power of her minions two-fold. She expended all of her ether to bolster her own strength, but when the blinding pain of Inal’s death burned her very soul, the Earth Core knew it wouldn’t be enough.

  As surely as rain falls in the swamps, the men came, thick as a cloud of midgelings.

  They were too powerful, and worse, too clever. They avoided many of her traps and minions, heading straight for her Core Chamber far below.

  Her champion, a powerful golem of ice and earth, was torn apart. Some of the invaders were so potent they shimmered with power. And when her champion fell, the men demanded she bend the knee to Brintoshi rule.

  Her refusal was met with a quick and indifferent reaction. A morning star, larger than a child’s skull and bristling with cruel spikes, smashed her Core to splinters in moments.

  When Kai could breathe again, his face, hands, and body thrummed with residual energy. But he was free of the etheric torrent that had flowed through him. Glancing down, he saw once again the smooth surface of a perfect Earth Core—the same one he remembered from his visions—before a roar snapped both his eyes and his thoughts back to the present.

  Terrinore, once a mighty force that few in this world could defy, fell to the ground. The wound in his shoulder bled anew, his power to heal himself suddenly taxed. His eyes grew dim and glossy.

  The glow of stolen ether had taken away his icy gaze.

  Dozens of shrieks filled the air behind Kai, coming from the ranks of terrified baliska, their eyes finally clear of the basilisk’s influence. They saw his damaged body and the flooded room, then turned and fled up the tunnel, leaving Rhona, Kai, and the wounded basilisk alone.

  “You’ve stolen my power!” the basilisk growled through gritted teeth. Rage and endless despair laced his words. “I worked long and hard to harness that Earth Core. I built an empire with its strength. And now it’s gone!”

  Rhona spoke from behind Kai, her voice solemn, though he heard a river of ice flowing beneath the calm. She was livid. “It wasn’t yours to harness,” she hissed at the monster. “Only the weak rely on the power of others. Your empire was nothing more than an army of mindless slaves, forced to do your bidding.”