Skidding to a stop, Gerold wasn’t shocked to see that the Tavern was at capacity – and that there were plenty of uninvited guests that needed to be tossed out.
Chapter 19
“Palzerk Gorerender, oh Great One.”
Furbrea was prostrating herself on the floor of the workshop, with Kelerim and Owchet watching her with something akin to amusement on their faces. Sandra wasn’t amused; she was more embarrassed than anything.
* Oh, you don’t have to do that, Furbrea. I told you that my name is Sandra, so you can call me that, okay? *
“Yes, Great One.”
This wasn’t going as well as the Dungeon Core would’ve liked, but at least she was getting some assistance. She could’ve done without all of the supplication and deference, which was more than a bit off-putting; Sandra preferred mutual respect in communications and interactions, as this…worshipping act…could get dangerous, real fast.
* And who is Palzerk? I’m trying to put a face to the name. *
It sounded familiar, but there had been more than a few Warbands that had passed through Grongbak searching for better weapons in exchange for volunteering mercenaries for Sandra’s use.
“Warband Leader Palzerk was the first to come to our village to take the deal offered. I know not where he is now, but I’ve heard that his territory is relatively local.”
* Ah yes, I remember now. *
Sandra had watched all of the exchanges, not only so she could see that both sides were getting a fair deal, but as extra protection for the villagers, including Furbrea. She remembered the first exchange only too well, because that was when Perceine had joined her team of mercenaries.
An angry tirade erupted in the back of her mind at the thought of the murdered Orc mercenary, but the Dungeon Core did her best to calm herself and push the insane shard away. It was getting easier to control it, she had found; then again, she hadn’t been tested by an attack coming from the other Cores quite yet.
Fortunately, her fight with the entity in her mind didn’t last that long, and she was able to carry on the conversation.
* Are you sure? Is this Palzerk the best of all of the Leaders you have spoken to? *
Furbrea bowed her head, practically touching the floor as she did so. Sandra could tell that the old Orc’s joints were suffering from the prostration, and yet Furbrea seemed content to continue even after being told otherwise. “Yes, Great One. He is the only one I’ve interacted with that had the qualities of a leader that people would want to follow, instead of being forced to.”
* That’s it? *
“Believe me, that is enough.”
Sandra wasn’t sure why, but the conviction in Furbrea’s voice was all the confirmation she needed. The Core trusted the old Orc to know who would likely be the best candidate based on her observations; the easier method of choosing would’ve been to ask her mercenaries, but they were going to be inherently biased. Not necessarily biased towards their former Warband Leaders, but towards the strongest of those Leaders. One look at Kelerim’s father, Rothgar, was enough to know that strength didn’t always equal the best one to lead.
Hundreds of Shears were swarming over the more than 40-mile radius her Area of Influence now had over Orcrim, the Orc lands where dozens of Warbands were roaming around, clearing out ever-increasing pockets of Dungeon Monsters from the nearby dungeons. There weren’t any near Grongbak at the moment, though she could see one Warband on the way there now – likely having heard about the deal Sandra was still offering. That wasn’t the one that was needed, however, as she searched over the territory from up high, locating Warband after Warband.
Thankfully, the one she was looking for was only about 10 miles out from Grongbak, currently in the middle of savagely tearing apart a small group of Wolves. Must be another Beast dungeon out there somewhere. Sandra knew from her previous life as a merchant that Fire had, by a small margin, been the most frequent of the elements to which a Human had access, so it wasn’t a surprise that another Fire-based dungeon had chosen Beasts as their Classification.
She was glad to see that their upgraded Steel weapons, instead of the shoddily made Iron ones they had discarded, were holding up quite well under the Warband’s abuse – and were practically destroying the large wolf Monsters. It’s working. Now for the next step, even if they’re probably not ready for it yet.
Having located her target, she turned back to those assembled in the workshop, who were looking around blankly. They were waiting for her to speak and tell them what to do next, so she obliged them.
* Kelerim, it’s time you get out and see the sun; it’s been a while and you’re looking a little pale. Owchet, I need you to go with him to see Palzerk…wait. You were part of his Warband with Perceine, weren’t you? *
“Yes.”
* Then this will be a bit easier, don’t you think? *
“I’m still a little unsure what this is all about, but I will serve with honor.”
* Oh. Easy enough, I guess. Kelerim is Rothgar Bloodskull’s son, and the first crack at his legacy falls to him. Since he’s not quite right for the position of Warlord, he can appoint someone in his stead. If you haven’t guessed by now, that person will be Palzerk. *
“Ah. I see. He’s going to have to fight any within the Bloodskull Warband who would choose to take that position, however, and it better be done quickly; when word gets out of Rothgar’s death, there will be quite a lot of bloodshed.”
* That’s what I’ve been led to believe. So…what do you think? Do you agree? *
Owchet shrugged. “Of all of the Warband Leaders I’ve met over the years, Palzerk is the best of them. It was for him that I volunteered to be one of your mercenaries, and though I think I came out on the better end of the deal—” he winked at Furbrea, who was looking at him like he was crazy for speaking so openly to the Great One— “he is still a great Leader. He cares for his Warriors as individuals, not just a way to amass power for himself.” He shrugged again. “However, I have to say that my knowledge on potential candidates is poor; there could be a better one out there, but in my opinion you can’t go wrong with Palzerk.”
A very reasonable and articulated recommendation for Furbrea’s choice.
* Then it’s settled; get ready to fly. *
“What?! Oh no, I don’t think that’s necessary.” Kelerim was suddenly looking even paler than usual.
* Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. Your ride should be arriving just about…now. *
Sandra had accumulated enough Mana from the Arachnid Queens – which were still constantly churning out new leaf-and-stick spiderlings – to create another Roc for them to use as transportation – though this one was a bit different due to Sandra’s increased Advancement Level.
High Peak Roc
Current Elemental Energy:
Air – 70000 energy
Special Ability:
Traveling Vortex: 20000 Air energy
Shattering Screech: 5000 Air energy
Sonic Dive: 2000 Air energy
Beak Extraction: 200 Air energy
Not only was it not called the Aerie Roc anymore – now a High Peak Roc – it also had more Air energy at its disposal, as well as a new “Traveling Vortex” Special Ability. That was all on top of its different physical characteristics; it was now 150 feet long from beak to tail feathers (a 50% increase in size), 45 feet wide (again, a 50% increase in size), had a beak that was nearly translucent – like a cloudy diamond, and its talons were made from the same material. All for a 28,000 Mana Cost, which was 8,750 more Mana than the previous incarnation.
Luckily, she had made a pair of extra harnesses when she had been outfitting the Rocs that had taken Violet, Felbar, Echo, and Gerold back to their respective capitals, in anticipation of needing to use them in the future. Some quick work from a dozen of her Unstable Shapeshifters in Gerold’s form was enough to combine the two Leather harnesses together, as well as fitting it on the massive Roc. The giant bird felt like it bar
ely even fit in her Home room, but there was fortunately plenty of room for it to maneuver and squeeze out into the tunnel Sandra had built for that purpose.
Getting through the 50-foot-wide tunnel was a bit tougher, because with only 5 feet of clearance in width, running through the tunnel was a bit more complicated. Luckily, its feathers were fairly durable, and even if they scraped along the sides, there wasn’t a single sign of damage to either the bird or the tunnel itself.
When it had emerged from the tunnel, Sandra couldn’t help but wonder what the new Roc’s “Traveling Vortex” was. Instead of running it to her entrance where she was discussing potential candidates with Furbrea, she had it take off and use its new ability.
After activation, a pulse of energy seemed to flash out of the giant bird, before the energy seemed to explode about 500 feet in front of the Roc. After the explosion, a massive flat-shaped vertical vortex of yellow-tinted swirling air appeared like a hole in the sky, large enough to swallow the Roc whole, even with its ginormous wingspan. It didn’t take long for the Monster to fly through the “Vortex”, enveloping it completely until the Shears above, which she was using to watch, lost sight of the bird.
The sound of the Vortex collapsing reverberated through the air like a thunderclap as air rushed in to fill the void, almost deafeningly loud to Sandra’s Shears. When she looked at what had happened, she saw the Vortex had collapsed to a pinpoint, the bird and everything else nowhere to be seen. That didn’t last long, however, as the Vortex exploded open again, exactly where it was before, spitting out the Roc as if nothing had happened. As soon as the last tailfeather emerged from the swirling mass of air, the Vortex collapsed again and disappeared completely.
Uh, Winxa? What just happened?
She had to explain what she saw and heard, before the Dungeon Fairy was able to answer. Not a very comprehensive answer, but it at least sent her in the right direction. “I have no idea. I’ve never heard of something like that before. Though, I wonder…if this is for ‘traveling’, did you have a destination in mind?”
Sandra hadn’t, but she wasn’t sure why that would make a difference. Whatever it was, the Dungeon Core didn’t have any more time to experiment, because she was just finishing up her conversation with Furbrea, Owchet, and Kelerim. She landed the Roc just outside, where it waited patiently for the latter two to emerge from the workshop.
* Furbrea; I’m sending you back to Grongbak now, via the same way you arrived. If things work out, it’s going to start getting busy out there. I’ll try to keep you informed and supplied, but I can’t guarantee I’ll have everything set up before these dungeons attack again. Thank you for your assistance through everything so far; we’ll get through this if we work together. *
“It is my pleasure and honor, Great One.” The old Orc was still on her knees, and she bowed again with her head against the floor, before standing up and heading towards the Mechanical Jaguar Queen that had brought her to the dungeon in the first place. As soon as she was settled, she sent it on its way, returning it to the hidden “stables” outside of the village, where she could get off and walk the short distance back to her village.
“You have got to be kidding me. Is this thing bigger than the ones before?”
* Yes, it is. Now, like I said, it’s perfectly safe, so let’s not hesitate and get you strapped in. We need to get this going, because in a few days we’re going to need as much help as we can get. *
Sandra knew she could hold out for a few more days, at least, against the other Cores, but after that she was more than aware she couldn’t do it by herself. Since she hadn’t heard from the others (a loud grumbling rocked her mind for a moment at the thought of them), she was going to act on her own to obtain help from an Orcish authority.
Even if she had to establish that authority herself.
Kelerim complained a bunch while Owchet helped to get him prepared to fly, but eventually they were off. Knowing there wasn’t much that she could do to help convince Palzerk to come back to the dungeon, Sandra made sure the Roc was able to obey orders from both of its passengers; if the massive bird couldn’t protect them, then there wasn’t much else that she could do.
* Though, honestly, I’m pretty sure that one of his former Warband members arriving on the back of the giant bird will be more than enough to convince him. *
“I have no doubt you’re right, Sandra – but what’s your plan now?” Winxa suddenly asked, hearing the thoughts that had been going through the Dungeon Core’s mind. It was actually nice for once to have someone keeping tabs on her thoughts who wasn’t trying to overtake her consciousness.
* A few things, actually. Now that my Mana is flowing in at an increasingly faster pace, I think it’s time to start on some more permanent defenses against these Cores. That, and I think I need to get to crafting again. There were a few things I thought of when I was left to myself, and I want to try them out. *
“That’s an excellent idea. Who knows, maybe the crafting will eliminate your little ‘insane Core shard’ problem?”
* It’s not exactly little, but I appreciate the thought. Regardless, as far as I can tell, crafting can’t really hurt. *
As much as she wanted to get started on that right away, Sandra knew she needed to ensure she was safe to do so. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this time to set something up, especially when she wasn’t under the direct pressure of constant threat.
* Let’s get started. *
Chapter 20
The issue with defending against 4 different Dungeon Cores was one of having to monitor and react to each of the different tunnels leading to her dungeon. While she briefly thought about spending some time rerouting them all so that they began at either her giant Roc tunnel or her normal entrance, so as to concentrate her protection on a single area, she realized this wouldn’t work without a lot more time invested into those defenses.
For her original dungeon, the hallways connecting each of the rooms were so narrow that many of the Golems and Beasts wouldn’t fit. On paper, this sounded like an excellent solution, since that would prevent 2 of the Cores from reaching her; in reality, what it likely meant was that they would attempt to find another avenue of attack – one for which she could not necessarily prepare.
The Roc tunnel was different. It was plenty large enough for anything the Cores sent toward her, but the defenses inside weren’t necessarily meant for constant waves of Dungeon Monsters. Many of the traps inside – which, for the most part, she hadn’t replaced as of yet – required large amounts of Mana to establish; as a result, they took a longer time to recharge from the ambient Mana floating around her dungeon. Hours, perhaps, though she hadn’t yet had a chance to evaluate that timing.
The problem with those traps – and the Dungeon Monsters she had placed within – was that they required large amounts of upkeep to maintain within the Roc tunnel. Replacing them up with something more cost-effective was always a possibility, but with so much ground to cover because of its size, there really weren’t too many viable options. Becoming honest with herself, Sandra recognized that she really had the Roc tunnel solely as a place where her Roc could exit her dungeon, and it wasn’t necessarily made for constant defense.
Using both was an option, as she could have the Slimes and Goblins go through the smaller, “normal” dungeon route, with the Beasts and Golems through the other, but the same problem presented itself. Looking at her current Mana intake every minute and throughout a day, even with the ever-increasing influx from her Arachnid Queens, she doubted they would be able to maintain them for more than a day with a constant stream of replacement constructs or Dungeon Monsters of her own.
Current Mana Intake
Core Absorption: 10 Mana/hour
Dungeon Absorption: 10 Mana/min
Aboveground Absorption: 3320/min
Per Hour Intake: ~200,000
Daily Intake: ~4,800,000
At a little over 3,000 Mana per minute, 200,000 Mana per hour, an
d nearly 5,000,000 Mana a day, it sounded like more than enough. However, considering that some of her most effective constructs could take up to 10 minutes to acquire enough Mana to create – especially if she had to create a Monster Seed in the process – then that would be barely enough to keep things running. If there were a sudden breakthrough somewhere and she would have to react quickly, she didn’t have enough Mana coming in to effectively respond. She could tell that was half of the issues she had been having before her Core Size upgrade; the other half was that there was no clear strategy for long-term defense, as the insane entity in her mind was focused on eventually overcoming the other Cores and destroying them.
With that evaluation, there had to be a better way to use the resources at her disposal. Fortunately, there was – and her solution was already mostly constructed, which made it even better. Simply put, the 4-mile-long tunnels that the other Cores had made to invade and destroy her own Core were going to be the new extensions to her dungeon.
The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Page 19
