After warning the defenders up above to stand by in case she needed their help, she suggested that they rest and recover from the grueling fight, repair and heal what they needed to, and sit tight. She would’ve loved their assistance in thinning out even more of the hostile Dungeon Monsters before they reached her dungeon entrances, but it was more important that they stay to protect the more vulnerable villages. Besides, Sandra wasn’t fully convinced that ignoring the two habitations wasn’t some sort of trick; while these Dungeon Cores didn’t seem as adept at tactics as the Undead-Classification Core had, their actions so far made their collective communication still a bit worrying.
So, with those above safe – at the moment – Sandra prepared to receive the assault of 4 Dungeon Cores very determined to destroy her.
Chapter 45
Echo walked into the kitchen, the special bow that Sandra created for her in hand, as well as 2 quivers of bolts (including 2 dozen explosive bolts) on her back. She was a bit nervous about the upcoming delve into another dungeon, since the last one had nearly ended with her death and the deaths of everyone else that entered. Honestly, it was probably 10% skill and determination that allowed us to survive; the other 90% was all luck.
Now she was doing it again, though instead of Gerold, 5 Dwarven Shieldmen, Felbar the Gnome, and a hefty force of Sandra’s constructs and monsters, she’d be entering with some of the most powerful individuals she’d ever met before. Not only were her King and Queen overwhelmingly strong, but First-shield—I think I got that right—Parten was one of the most powerful Shieldmen in all of the Dwarven Kingdoms. She wasn’t sure how strong Warband Leader Palzerk and the other Orc were, nor Princess Celeste, but King Mynag seemed quite adept from all that she had heard.
Echo skipped a step when she walked into the room, as all eyes turned towards her. I guess I’m the last one here. She quickly leaned up against the nearby wall, unsuccessfully pretending like she had been there the whole time; regardless of her ploy, all of their attention disappeared off of her as one of Sandra’s Apes walked through a different tunnel, carrying a smoothly crafted wooden box with no seams.
* Now that we are all here, I can get started on the plan. *
“How goes the defense? I swear I can hear explosions and feel thumps all throughout your dungeon,” King Mynag asked, which was automatically translated into her mind by Sandra. I really need to learn how to speak other languages; having to rely on Sandra to speak to everyone else won’t work while we’re in the other dungeon. She remembered how difficult it had been to communicate with Gerold and Felbar, even though they had managed it somewhat by the time they were done with that place.
* It’s going well enough, but I don’t think it will for much longer. Attrition among my defending constructs is outpacing my ability to replace them, and the hordes of Dungeon Monsters are progressing further and further into my dungeon through both entrances. *
Echo was confused. “Why don’t you just close one of them, then? Especially that big old tunnel that you can fit an army into all at once.”
* That was my first thought, but that could have some detrimental effects. Not to me, per se, but if the larger Monsters can’t get into my dungeon, where do you think they will go? *
It only took Echo a half a second to understand what Sandra was hinting at – and she could see that the others comprehended the danger, as well.
* Exactly. While it would help me immensely, I don’t want to put the villagers’ lives at risk. *
“How come you’re having trouble with them now as opposed to just a little bit ago?” Echo turned to her Queen as the powerful monarch asked her question. For some reason, she suspected that the Royal Elf knew the answer already, but was asking for the benefit of everyone else. Echo, for one, was curious about the answer but hadn’t thought to ask.
* Well, if it were just the new Monsters they had acquired after they upgraded their Core Sizes, my defenses would probably be enough to stop them indefinitely. However, as I had thought, the Goblin Necromancers have turned not only their own kind into undead, but have also been able to raise up the slain Beasts as well. That, and I was only facing them one at a time before through their extensive tunnels underground; now, they are coming as a flood rather than a trickle. I haven’t been overwhelmed yet, but the time will soon come where I’ll need to call in help from those defending the villages if this keeps up. *
To hear how desperate the situation currently was in Sandra’s dungeon made what they were doing all that more important.
* As it stands now, I can only provide minimal assistance to your team as they go into the Goblin-Classification dungeon – at least in terms of my constructs and Dungeon Monsters. Apart from that, however, I have a gift for all of you that I think you’ll appreciate. Tell me, does anyone know what a Personal Enhancement Enchantment is? *
No one said anything, though Violet, the Gnome Enchanter in the back of the room, hesitatingly raised her hand. “Are they similar to our Temporary Individual Boost Enchantments?” Echo had never heard of those, either, but that wasn’t really surprising. She wasn’t an expert – or even a novice – on enchantments, after all.
* I would assume so, given the name. I would love to learn what sorts of these TIBEs you know, or perhaps your Master Enchanters know, because my knowledge of them is relatively limited. Anyway, I’ve been able to adapt some things to create some permanent…TIBEs…for you all. *
Violet and Princess Celeste both sucked in their breath at that, and the Royal Gnome slammed her fist down on the stone table. “IMPOSSIBLE! I’m no Master Enchanter, but even I know something like these Boost Enchantments are only for a limited time – it’s even in the name!”
* I assure you, I thought the same, before I discovered the curious creation of an Elemental Generator. I’ll explain more about it later, but we don’t have time for me to talk shop with either you or Violet. Suffice it to say, I created a special necklace for each of you, though they are slightly different in composition. Unfortunately, I could only fit 4 of the Enchantments on each one, though with enough time and experimentation, I’m hoping to do even more in the future. *
Echo was now extremely curious. As soon as Sandra stopped talking, her Ape started to reach into the box it had brought, pulling out necklaces that appeared to be made of pure Gold, consisting of flat disks of different sizes strung together. It was a bit gaudy for her own tastes, but she accepted it anyway, putting it around her neck next to the basic leather necklaces that held her Air and Holy Energy Orbs, if only to humor Sandra.
Immediately, her focus honed in on what appeared to be some sort of Energy Orb on the largest of the Gold disks, though it was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was filled with the swirling colors of yellow, brown, green, and grey; they were constantly in motion, almost hypnotizing to look at, and she could’ve sworn that they were figuratively fighting with each other.
The next thing she noticed was not something visual, but something internal. Whereas she had felt full of energy before, now she felt as if she was missing at least half or more of her maximum. Did this thing just take some of my energy? she thought worriedly, and started to take it off.
* For all of you, you’ll notice that as soon as you put the necklace on, you’ll probably feel something strange going on with your internal elemental energy. Do not be alarmed, this is just the fact that your maximum pool of energy has been doubled— *
“WHAT?!” Echo found that she had just joined in with everyone else in the room asking that question, which was obvious to her even if they were in 4 different languages. To say that she was shocked was putting it mildly. But, true to what Sandra had said, she could feel her energy regenerating even now, and it already felt like she could hold a lot more inside than before.
* A word of warning, however. When your current store of energy is greater than your normal limit, do not take off the necklace! Even a little bit could be painful as you are suddenly filled with that extra energ
y with no place for it to go, and it could potentially kill you if you have a larger energy pool than most people. *
That was extremely worrying, but it also made sense. The enchantment made her feel much more powerful, but that power came with a price.
“Thanks for the late warning, Sandra,” Gerold joked.
* You’re welcome, even through your sarcasm. Normally, this wouldn’t be something that I would allow people to use, as it can be dangerous in the best of circumstances, but I figure you will all need as much of an advantage as possible based on what you’ll be facing.
* As for your other permanent Enchantments, that depends on the colors you see in the Generator on the necklace. The grey color is the Energy Expansion I told you about already; yellow is for Lesser Buoyancy, which will make you a little faster and allow you to jump higher and farther; red is for Minor Muscle Strengthening, which makes you stronger; brown is for Stoneskin, which increases the durability of your skin, making you more resistant to injury; blue is for Minor Muscle Elasticity, which improves your reflexes and speeds you up; and finally green is for Binding Grip, which will improve your grip substantially, allowing you to climb virtually any surface. *
A quick experimentation as she hopped in place proved that Sandra was correct, as the little hop she performed made her rise at least twice the height she was expecting. This will take some getting used to. She didn’t want to inadvertently crash into the ceiling if she jumped too high, naturally. While she wasn’t interested in climbing any walls at the moment, Echo could feel a tightening in her skin that was slightly uncomfortable, but not painful; she figured this was the Stoneskin the Dungeon Core had mentioned.
* Lastly, I have some special Energy Orbs I created for the King and Queen of the Elves, and would like to know if you would prefer to have them embedded in your hands rather than worn on a necklace or held in a different method. I managed to find a way to combine 3 elements into a single Energy Orb, so you wouldn’t have to struggle with palms full of Orbs if you chose that route. *
A quick silent communication between her King and Queen ended up with them agreeing with the process of embedding them, which made Echo look at her own palms in remembrance. “Your Highnesses? A warning: It hurts more than anything else you’ve felt in your life, but it’s worth it.”
They just nodded and held out their hands for the special multi-element Energy Orbs – which Echo thought looked extremely interesting. They were a bit bigger than hers, but if they both had 3 elements in each Orb, then that made a bit of sense.
The Ranger had to look away as screams suddenly reverberated through the kitchen, lasting long enough that she had to cover her ears. When it was all over, she could see tears on her leaders’ faces, but the tracks of their pain was overshadowed by the sight of the Orbs embedded inside of their palms.
* I’m sorry that hurt so much, but hopefully the pain will be worth it. Now, I’ve finished preparing everything else for you, which is ready for you down below.
* A quick rundown of the plan, first. You’ll be traveling down the underground tunnel connecting my dungeon to the Goblin-Classification dungeon, which – from previous unsuccessful incursions by my constructs – comes out near the Dungeon Core. While it is closed off from the other side right now with a layer of stone and what appears to be a sheet of solid Iron, I can bust through it if it was needed—but I won’t.
* That’s because I’ll be quickly opening up another passage near the end of the tunnel, connecting you to another room a little bit further up the normal dungeon route. If I were to open up the main tunnel again, I have a feeling you would be completely outmatched and overwhelmed within minutes, as the room it leads into is large and is likely filled with hundreds of Goblins at the moment. The Core is prepared in case I decide to attack it from that direction, but my hope is that they will not suspect you are coming. *
“Won’t the dungeon see us coming through the tunnel?” That was Gerold, who asked the same thing Echo was thinking.
* Yes and no. No, they won’t be able to see you coming through the main tunnel, because it is both sealed up and now belongs solely to my dungeon. But as soon as I start creating a branching tunnel leading to another room in its dungeon, it will be able to see that the breach is being made. It’ll have to be done fast before they can utilize its resources in response, so once I start the process, there’ll be no going back. *
Do or die. All or nothing. Honestly, it felt scarier going into that Undead dungeon a few weeks ago, but Echo also felt like there was more at stake now. This would determine whether Sandra had ultimately found a solution that could be used against all of the dungeons in their land—in all their lands. Time to save the world.
When there were no more questions and everyone who was going seemed ready, she spotted Kelerim across the kitchen, leaning against the far wall. She had spoken with him at length over the last few hours – after giving her King and Queen a tour of the dungeon – and found that he had been hard at work while she was gone. He had been producing weapons for the Orcish Warbands to use in exchange for mercenaries, but now all that he was making was going to start being distributed without the need for an exchange. Things were becoming dire enough that all of his people were going to need as much help as possible.
As the others filed out of the room, heading below to start on their journey to the other dungeon, she weaved around the tables – noticing as she did that her steps felt a little lighter than usual – before she ended up in front of the Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc. She didn’t even say anything as she stared into Kelerim’s eyes as he stared back, and before she knew what she was doing, she used her newly granted speed and grabbed his head, pulling him towards her lips.
* I don’t want to interrupt, but they’re waiting for you down below. *
Echo reluctantly pulled herself away from Kelerim, only now noticing that his hands weren’t by his sides anymore. “Sorry,” she whispered breathlessly. “I have to go.” She wasn’t sure if Sandra translated that or not, but she could see the dazed look in his eyes as she turned around.
The Ranger tried to put him out of her mind as she activated her speed-boosting spell, racing through the hallways until she reached her destination: Sandra’s Core room. She briefly looked up at the glowing Dungeon Core floating in the middle of the room, before turning her attention to the rest of the room. Her party was already near the entrance of the tunnel, waiting for her with amused-looking expressions on their faces. Did Sandra say something?
She forgot all about that as she saw something else waiting for her— “Starlight 3!”
The magnificent Pegasus appeared just as she remembered, and she immediately jumped on its back. Around its neck, she noticed, was something new.
* I have designated Echo as the one to carry the Prismatic Core with her and…Starlight 3. She’ll be able to fly up next to the Goblin-Classification Core to enable the Bond, and I wouldn’t want to break up the team that has worked so well in the past. *
Sandra’s voice sounded amused in her mind, but she didn’t care. She was just happy to be back on her beautiful mount, and she could see that even her King and Queen were slightly envious. Or disgusted. Or didn’t really care – their faces were a bit of a blank to her.
Without another word, they all turned toward the tunnel and started to run lightly down the long passageway. She couldn’t help but notice that Gerold and the Gnome Princess, Celeste, ran together in their Deep Diver suits, and she had to admit that it was sort of adorable, with the Princess’ suit a bit smaller than the Dwarf’s. Whether it was her recent kiss or something else, she couldn’t help but think, I bet they would make a cute couple.
Also accompanying them, which she was doubly glad to see, were 2 of the Repair Drones that were so useful for a variety of reasons. One, they healed wounds almost miraculously well; and two, they exploded quite extraordinarily when they were damaged. It was the sacrifice of their Drones in the Undead dungeon that had saved them from almost cer
tain doom.
But that was it. Sandra really wasn’t kidding when she said we would basically be on our own. The 9 of them, plus Starlight 3 and 2 Repair Drones, were all that they were bringing with them to invade a dungeon, fight their way to the Core, and hope that Sandra’s plan would work.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and along the way they passed rooms carved into the long passageway; some of them were filled with constructs, while others appeared empty. Echo remembered that Sandra had mentioned that she had set up some traps as defenses along the tunnel, which she supposed the rooms were being used for. Luckily, it appeared as though they were either deactivated or removed entirely, but nothing attacked them.
Finally, in what Echo judged to be a little over 30 minutes later, they arrived at the end of the tunnel. At least, she assumed it was, because there was a large stone wall blocking off access to anything else.
* Are you ready? *
Sandra’s voice in her head sounded a bit strained, and the Ranger worried about what was happening near the Core’s main dungeon.
She answered in the affirmative, as well as everyone else. She was pleased to see that everyone still appeared rested enough after their light run, mainly because they hadn’t been pushing themselves.
* Alright; this is going to happen fast, so be ready. My Champion Totems are going to punch through the remaining wall left over after I remove the dirt and stone separating the tunnel I’m making from the other dungeon, and they will accompany you inside. I’m sorry that they are all I can spare, but things are getting a little tight over here. Good luck and may the Creator guide you on your way. *
The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Page 45
