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

by TJ Reynolds

  He lifted up his head, and the scales across his back rose a few inches.

  What is it? Rhona asked.

  She felt the ground vibrating, a rhythmic shudder pulsing up into her feet. Then she heard the pounding of hooves.

  Rhona, back away! Kai shouted before opening his jaws and roaring out in challenge.

  With little other recourse, Rhona triggered Spirit Flow.

  Suddenly surrounded by slow-moving dragons, she turned and sprinted away to relative safety. She didn’t know if one bison was charging or a dozen, but she was entirely too small and too squishy to stand around in a battle of such large beasts.

  Rhona raced toward a pile of boulders nearby. Charging up the slope, she suddenly found herself standing twenty feet above the dragons with a clear view of the impending danger.

  Sure enough, it was a bison.

  The alpha had come, perhaps intelligent enough to sense danger to his herd.

  Rhona gawked as the monster bore down on Kai. Standing fifteen feet tall at the shoulders, the alpha’s head was lowered, his horns flickering with an odd pulsation of silver ether.

  Then twin beams of Wind ether shot out of their tips and struck Kai in his scaled chest.

  A shockwave of force rippled outward, and slowly the beams grew thicker and thicker.

  Rhona wanted to help her friend, but if he couldn’t withstand the bison in his dragon form, none of them stood a chance. She thought back on their encounter with Terrinore.

  The basilisk had been too strong for her, yet she’d fought on, in part because Kai had lacked the strength to do so for himself.

  And now the tables were turned.

  Fifty feet separated the two monsters, then forty.

  The beams were six inches thick now, and the energy pouring out into Kai’s body quite obviously having an effect. His body vibrated as the spell powered up.

  She did not want to see what would happen if it was completed.

  Suddenly, a cloud of Wind ether erupted around Kai’s body, and the dragon vanished. He appeared some twenty feet forward. His body twisted sharply and his tail swung round in a blurring arc.

  The tail mace slammed into the bison’s head.

  The beams cut off, and a piece of horn flew into the air, spinning in slow motion.

  Rhona watched in awe as the mace cracked the side of the bison’s skull, caving the bones inwards when the force grew too great.

  She dropped her spell and the world sped up.

  Wings beat the air, and the other four dragons swarmed the alpha as it staggered to keep its footing. The beast tried to resist them, but Kai had nearly killed it with his tail strike.

  As the four ripped the alpha to shreds, Kai leaped into the air and teleported twice more. The first time, he moved higher up.

  Then he vanished and burst into view in front of Rhona.

  Kai’s eyes were wild with fear as he paced back and forth on his forelegs.

  The bison shrieked out in death throes behind him, and yet his golden eyes remained locked on Rhona.

  She reached out her hand and touched the scales of his snout. Kai’s hot breath rippled her clothes, and she gave him a strained smile. I’m fine, Kai. I’m alright.

  A moment passed until he seemed to come back to himself.

  Kai placed his forelegs up on the stone at Rhona’s feet. Then he transformed.

  Pulling himself up, Kai ignored his naked body for once. Cloak billowing in the breeze, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

  Rhona gave a slight gasp and accepted the embrace stiffly.

  Then, as inevitable and easy as the sun rising, she relaxed into him. Head on his chest, Rhona breathed in the lingering dragon musk on Kai’s skin.

  And all doubt and worry drained from her mind.

  13

  As Seen in a Dream

  Kai

  After the incident with the alpha, Kai took a great deal more care choosing their battles.

  Once the great beast had fallen, the dragons preyed on the bison herd for three more days until new quarry was found.

  After the bison, the hunting party focused on various types of elemental wargs.

  Then there was a herd of elk that provided even more ether and fresh meat. Since they were targeting small monsters, Rhona and Greg were able to help out as well.

  The fighting was fierce, but the rewards well worth the time and effort.

  In a week of hunting the immense valley, the young dragons had leveled up to Amber 2 and were halfway to Amber 3. The most amazing part was that they’d covered less than half of the valley.

  On the eighth day, Kai decided to scour a new area. They found a narrow and deep canyon that jutted off the main valley. A frothing river ran down its center, and several tall hills surrounded it.

  Kai was hopeful they’d find some new beast to tackle.

  It wasn’t as if the others provided too little ether to bother, but each new challenge forced the dragons to think tactically.

  He wanted to push them in every way possible.

  As they neared the end of the canyon, Kai was disappointed by the lack of large game. It almost seemed like something else had been hunting there, or perhaps the local game were grazing in a nearby canyon.

  He looked up at a single, snow-capped mountain that sat at the end of the canyon.

  Its oddly symmetrical shape drew his eye in the first place, then he noticed a dozen other tiny details that intrigued him.

  The river, for one, poured straight out from the base of the mountain, spilling down the slope as if from a great mouth. The mountain had a conical shape, with a rough, almost scaled texture running down its sides.

  Rhona, what do you think of that mountain? It doesn’t seem natural to me.

  He waited while the woman thought, flapping upwards to gain a better view as he did so.

  I don’t think it is. Kai, that might be a dungeon of some sort… what else can shape an entire mountain?

  A thrill of excitement rose up in Kai’s chest.

  He’d been thinking the same thing. Only one way to find out, he said, then gave a mental shout to the dragons to follow him as he approached.

  The nearer they got, the more certain Kai became of their theory. An intricate scale pattern marched up the mountain’s sides. Weather and time had eroded much of it, and snow covered the cap, but he was sure about it now.

  He flew higher, hoping to find some sign of an entry. And then he found it. Cleverly disguised, the entrance was obscured by a sheet of stone.

  Two gaps were opened to either side so that one could only see them from an angle.

  Kai descended and then opened his wings to land.

  They flew in through the vast slit on the right side, landing on a wide platform of cleanly carved stone.

  One by one, the dragons landed beside him.

  A fifty-foot-tall doorway stood wide open, the doors shattered and charred. Yes, he thought. This is yet another shivvered dungeon. At least I have gained enough Progression that the loss will not be so much of a burden.

  He made a tactical decision to transform into human shape. In his experience, many dungeon monsters were smaller. Having three human-sized fighters and four dragons would make for greater balance.

  Besides, other than raw power, his spells and fighting skill were as effective in human form as they were in dragon.

  He removed the clothes and armor from where he’d strapped them to the side of his dragon armor. Once he was ready, he faced his companions.

  “Okay, so we’ve done this before, but not in a while,” Kai began, focusing his attention on the young dragons. “The last time we were in a dungeon, the four of you fought selfishly. I hope none of you forgot those monsters that swarmed you?

  “I certainly haven’t. So, this time, we will work as a team. In fact”—Kai turned around, arms held up as he gestured to the grand entrance—“this might be the most powerful dungeon we’ve ever entered. If it proves too challenging, we leave,
understood?”

  Yes, Elder Dragon Kai, the dragons responded almost at the same time.

  He glanced between the beasts.

  They sat upright on their haunches, chests puffed out and proud.

  Each of the dragons had grown in the short time since they’d arrived here.

  Anatoth was now three-quarters Kai’s full size, Freya just a little smaller.

  Even Calreem was taller and thicker in the limbs and body, half the size of Kai’s dragon form.

  They made for an imposing team, but Kai reminded himself of their many limitations. Each dragon could only command a single spell, and though their power levels were higher than any humans of the same level, Amber 2 made them what Jakodi considered hatchlings.

  Rhona smiled at Kai, her arms folded across her chest. She quirked an eyebrow and strutted towards him. “We ready to make a grand entrance, or did you want to give us a few more words?”

  Kai chuckled and took up his glaive. “No, I am ready, as I assume all of you are. Rhona and I in the front, then Anatoth, Hazel, Calreem, and Freya in the rear with Greg. Let’s get moving!”

  Exchanging a look of nervous anticipation with Rhona, Kai stalked toward the broken doors.

  A pang of grief tugged at his heart when he noted a strip of overly intricate filigree marking a section of the door.

  Only an Earth Core would spend such time and care on design, he mused. How anyone could ever bring harm to one will always defy reason in my mind.

  He took a calming breath and pushed away all thoughts other than immediate security.

  Stepping over a heap of rubble, Kai entered what must have been simply a greeting room. Spanning several hundred feet wide and two hundred deep, the vaulted ceiling above was filled with sunlight streaming through a series of slits in the mountain above.

  Huge columns of stone stood around the room, and Kai noticed something very odd. He saw what he thought were benches on one side, short and designed for human bodies.

  Opposite, he found large, circular platforms, some twenty feet wide.

  He pointed them out to Rhona and whispered. “I think this place was designed for humans and dragons alike.”

  She nodded, eyeing the structures with interest.

  Briefly, he admired the flashing intelligence in her green eyes. Gone was the gray and sullen indifference she’d suffered after her encounter with Hastings.

  Rhona was brighter than ever.

  She was a polished gem, somehow more wise and more childish than the angry woman he’d met in the swamps.

  Kai pressed onward through a tall archway.

  Beyond, he found another chamber that split into two halls. The first extended over a quarter-mile. Immense chambers, all filled with golden sunlight, ran away until his eyes could scarcely make out their details any longer.

  The second hall ran forward. A faint glow of ether in the dim light called to him.

  That was where they needed to go.

  Onward they trudged through the immense dungeon, and finally, after reaching the last of several more chambers, Kai came across a set of stairs.

  He paused briefly and spoke to those behind him. “I have the feeling that all of that was more or less public. Nothing about the design or chambers hinted at privacy. But we’re about to head down, and the ether is growing more concentrated. Stay alert.”

  The stairs were of course large enough to accommodate a dragon much larger than Kai.

  Still, they weren’t constructed in the oversized manner the outer chambers had been.

  They walked downward, slowly spiraling deeper into the mountain.

  At the base of the stairs, Kai’s suspicions proved correct. The party entered a much smaller space. The ceiling was still over twenty feet high, but gone was the excessive grandeur.

  Piles of rubble were scattered about, evidence of the wreckage left behind by soldiers long ago.

  A single passage led deeper into the dungeon, so Kai walked toward it.

  He entered with as much care and caution as possible, but once inside, he sighed in exasperation. Time and again, he kept thinking monsters would spring out and attack them.

  I hope this place isn’t entirely abandoned, he said to Rhona in his mind. It would be a waste of an opportunity at the very least.

  Rhona shrugged beside him. Not sure about that. You said Ban was abandoned when you found him, and yet his core remained. If we can restore an Earth Core large enough to create all of this, surely that will be worthwhile.

  He conceded her point with a nod.

  You’re right. I was just hoping for some more Progression for the dragons.

  Kai strode deeper into the dungeon, moving through a series of more personalized chambers. One contained huge shelves and rotten barrels. These, along with the remains of charred tables, gave Kai the impression it had once been a kitchen and private dining hall.

  They found a vast chamber off to one side scattered with rusted and charred weapons. A complicated series of stone columns and obstacles in the far corner pointed to the room having been used for training.

  Finally, Kai stepped into a room that, surprisingly, was filled with sunlight.

  He glanced up and saw a wide gap in the ceiling, and as he did so, he recalled a vision he’d had long ago.

  A man holding a woman stood here.

  She was pregnant with his child. They were in love, but their lives were destined to be torn apart.

  He’d backed away after swearing his love to her once more. Then he’d transformed into the multihued form of a Fundamental Dragon.

  Kai staggered back and bumped into Rhona.

  She caught him in her arms. “What is it? What did you see?”

  Kai looked through the nearly empty room. Gone were the furnishings and the rich decorations. Where once he’d been given a glimpse of mounds of treasure and ornate suits of armor, he now only saw an empty shell.

  No fire had scorched these walls. No, the Brintoshi had been wise enough to loot while they could.

  Upon ascension, Briga had shown Kai this place.

  He knew it vaguely, like he did the golden-skinned Hintari who embraced a woman from Brintosh right here.

  “This,” he said in a quavering voice, “this is my father’s dungeon.”

  Rhona gasped behind him.

  He turned to face her, and he found his own wonder reflected back in her eyes. “Kai… that’s amazing. But how?”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “My father was the Fundamental Dragon. He met my mother sometime during the early stages of the war. Briga gave me a vision of their parting.” He pointed to the room. “This once held a vast store of treasure.”

  Then his mind spun as he worked at the problem in his mind. “We must be further west than I’d originally thought. My mother left on foot, heading down from the Zargan Mountains into Brintosh. The trip took her months, for when she finally made it, she gave birth to me at some farmhouse.”

  Kai hunched over, supporting himself by one hand on his knee, the other gripping his glaive tightly.

  Emotions swarmed through his heart, all demanding attention.

  Surprisingly, he felt anger chief among them.

  Despite all he’d learned of his parents and their desperate plight, a part of him was furious he’d never met either one. He wanted to have received this inheritance, wished he could have grown up here and known the dragon and Earth Core who’d built it.

  Then grief and regret wormed their way in until Kai had to grind his teeth and shove it all down for the time being.

  Enough of this! he told himself as he stood up again. You can feel and think and wonder later. For now, you’ve got to clear this dungeon, Kai.

  He pounded his glaive into the stone floor once, a simple gesture to express his feelings and regain control at the same time.

  Then he turned and addressed the dragons. “This is the dungeon of the Fundamental Dragon that came before me. He was my father, though I never met him.”

&nb
sp; Only Hazel had the courage to speak. Were he and his Earth Core as great as this vast dungeon?

  Kai sighed and smiled bitterly up at the golden dragon. “I think so, but I never met either one. My father left this place to go and fight his enemies. He never returned.”

  The dragons lowered their heads, sadness glinting in their big eyes.

  Kai pounded his glaive down once more, stirring up his resolve. “Come, let us see if we can find the Earth Core that created all of this.”

  Another staircase led downward, and as Kai tread deeper into the dungeon, the ether grew thicker and thicker.

  Where a thin wisp had been hardly noticeable at first, now everything glowed a vibrant blue. And despite having seen no signs of such, Kai felt the presence of monsters lurking ahead.

  The ether was simply too thick not to have attracted creatures.

  The stairs leveled out and Kai walked into a long passage. Along both sides, thin streams of water rushed by, spilling out of countless holes in the walls.

  At the far end, three tunnels veered off in different directions.

  Kai walked another fifty feet before he heard the first scrabble of claw on stone.

  He froze in place and fell into a fighting stance. Get ready! he shouted with his mind. Enemies are coming!

  Sure enough, the monsters he’d been sensing showed themselves at last. Bursting from the three-foot-wide holes in the walls and scurrying toward them from depths of the dungeon, a horde of monsters emerged.

  Kai prepared to cast Flame Spear as the nearest of the monsters came at him. He used inspect in the short time he had remaining.

  Frenzied Muskrat

  Ether-blighted Rodent

  Crimson 1

  Kai held up his glaive and shouted, “Diamond formation!”

  He entrusted the dragons to act accordingly. In the past week, they’d trained together, coming up with three distinct formation.

  As he watched the nearest beasts barreling his way, he knew diamond would serve them best since they were likely to be surrounded in moments.

  Each of the muskrats had a very low rank, but there were dozens, perhaps a hundred in all. They were as large as the giant rats Kai used to fight back in Ban’s first dungeon, each weighing between twenty and thirty pounds. But these had shorter bodies and thicker tails.