The Crafter's Dilemma: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 3)

by Jonathan Brooks

  “That…was an enchantment?” Felbar asked, shock on his face. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

  * Yes, well, I think I know what I did wrong; with a hopefully simple adjustment, that shouldn’t happen again. That was a mistake on my part – I’m just glad I tested it outside the workshop. *

  “That was a mistake? I could see some potential uses for something like that,” Echo asked, coming back from her visit to her village. Sandra realized she was broadcasting her response to everyone in the vicinity, which she thought included Felbar, Gerold, and Violet down in the workshop; she wasn’t expecting the Elf back so soon from her trip, but apparently she didn’t want to spend any more time there than was needed.

  Sandra had been so focused on crafting and testing the enchantments that she hadn’t really been paying attention to the immediate area; if she had started the test a minute or so later, there was a possibility that the others might’ve been hurt by the explosion. The Dungeon Core quickly looked around her AOI to make sure she hadn’t missed anything else while she was so focused elsewhere and was relieved when nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Or, as ordinary as a Phoenix hunting down any remaining Specters in the open air and her Rolling Constructs finishing up the elimination of all of the smaller Undead roaming around was.

  * I’m glad you’re all back, because I wanted to talk to everyone about what the plan is for taking out the Undead dungeon. However, before we do that, why doesn’t everyone except Violet wind down a little, get something to eat, and maybe even take a nice relaxing bath before we get started – because we have a lot to go over followed up by a lot of work. *

  They were more than agreeable to that, especially Gerold – who was still obviously dealing with the rejection by his people. Echo perked up at the mention of a bath, though she mentioned something that made Sandra a little worried. “That sounds like a great idea, but there’s also something I heard while in the village that may be a cause for concern for the future. It’s nothing urgent, so I’ll tell you later.”

  When the War Machine was parked back in the partially destroyed workshop and Sandra sent the Mechanical Jaguar Queen to go roam around the wastelands, Sandra got back to work with Violet. The warhammer had been so damaged that some of the enchantment on it was damaged as well, so they had to basically start over. Fixing it in the state in was in was out of the question, but fortunately Sandra had made two other Titanium Warhammers with her Ape while they were trying to figure out the enchantment in the first place. Instead, she just absorbed the halfway-destroyed weapon, noticing that the Average Fire Energy Orb that was placed in the pommel was now two-thirds smaller from just the single activation of the enchantment.

  The second enchantment went much easier and faster, now that she knew that she had to drastically turn down the flow from the Limiter rune. When she tested it – aboveground again for safety – it had the desired effect; a brief burst of flames erupted from the head of the hammer, creating a small dent in the dirt and making the hammer rebound from the force of the mini-explosion just a little. It was exactly what she needed to make her Steelclad Apes into the warriors they were meant to be.

  That wasn’t all, however; because they were going against the Undead, she also wanted to create some Holy-based enchantments that were offensive. That was going to be a little difficult, because most of the enchantments she knew of were primarily defensive – but with the added potential energy behind one, it could prove to be just as deadly as the Fireburst…if not more.

  She finally settled on the Holy Light enchantment, which was an extremely basic enchantment that was normally crafted on simple wooden sticks and used as a torch of sorts while delving through Nether-based dungeons. The enchantment gave off a steady light that could last for days of constant use; Nether Dungeon Monsters tried to avoid being close to it (likely because the light made them a little uncomfortable), though it apparently didn’t actually hurt them unless they were touched by it directly – and then it was essentially like burning them with a hot brand. Again, not normally that powerful or even deadly except against the smallest of Undead, but when it had a bit of an extra boost behind it…who knows?

  When they were done, it was hard to tell exactly how powerful it was; all she could say when her Ape experimented with it outside, was that it created a brief flash of light that was as bright or brighter than anything she’d seen before. It only lasted for a fraction of a second, but it was impressive for all that. Before she created any more of those, she’d have to try it against an Undead to see if it actually did anything.

  * That’s a good start, don’t you think? Now, let’s focus on the War Machine. *

  “You mentioned that before, but it’s already working the way it’s supposed to,” Violet said, after the warhammer experiments were complete. Sandra was planning on creating more of them once they had figured out all of the other enchantments she had in mind.

  * No, that’s all fine – perfect, even. You did a really good job on that, you know? No, what I’m talking about is adding some extra elemental weaponry to it, to make it even more versatile. *

  The Gnome seemed to consider that for a moment. “Ok…but I’m not sure how that is going to work. With the warhammers, we used an Activate rune sequence, but if the War Machine is already touching something, it’s probably already being destroyed by its weapons.”

  * That’s a good point, but the way I’m thinking it will work will be just a bit different. I have some thoughts about what I’d like to include, but instead of the Activate rune sequence being at the point of contact, I want it to be inside where Felbar is piloting the construct. *

  She cocked her head to the side as she thought about it, before smiling wide as she understood. “Ah, I see now. What did you have in mind?” Sandra mentally smiled back.

  It required a bit of manipulation of the inside cockpit where Felbar controlled the Machine, but it was relatively minor and done fairly quickly. When Sandra was done, there were now an Average Fire Energy Cube and its accompanying Spirit Energy Orb wedged into the inner wall, as well as Limiter and Activate runes sequences running down the left arm and to the tip of the warhammer fused to the end. On the right side, there was an Average Holy Energy Cube with the same setup, though instead of just the right arm the sequences roamed lightly over the entire War Machine. That enchantment required Sandra to contribute four of her Shapeshifters in Echo form to complete because of the sheer size of it, though at least the enchantment itself wasn’t complicated.

  Felbar came back into the workshop just as Sandra and Violet were finishing up the new additions. “What are you doing to my girl?” he asked worriedly, rushing over to put his hand on the War Machine’s leg possessively.

  Sandra couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction and proceeded to tell him that they had made some changes for him to try out. He looked suspiciously at Violet, who looked back at him with an innocent smile on her face, before climbing up with the help of some boxes into the pilot’s area. “What are these Cubes doing in here?” he asked, seeing them immediately.

  * I’ll explain it in a moment. Head out of the workshop and I’ll show you. *

  The Gnome grumbled under his breath about secrets and about having no respect for his baby, but he did as Sandra asked. As soon as he was out there and safely away from anything that could get hurt, the Dungeon Core pointed out the activation symbol on the nearby wooden wall, just to his right, along with a similar one on his left.

  * Now, touch the one on your left and hold your hand there. *

  Felbar did as he was instructed, and a semi-transparent shield of light sprung up around the entire War Machine.

  * If you sort of turn your fingers to the right, the Holy Protection Shield will stay on until you turn it off, though you won’t be able to attack through it. Let me demonstrate. *

  Sandra had the Steelclad Ape that had followed him outside pick up and throw a small rock at tremendous speed at the War Machine; as she had predicte
d, the rock bounced off, ricocheting off and leaving the Gnome construct unharmed – even though it probably wouldn’t have done much in the first place. She then asked Felbar to try to attack the Ape, but the Gnome soon found that he couldn’t fully extend his arms up, as they were slowed to a stop by the shield from the inside. He could walk and even run but trying to attack anything through the Holy Protection Shield was nearly impossible.

  Felbar proved her wrong, however, as he physically barreled into the Ape with his entire body – shield included – and sent it flying backwards. Fortunately, it wasn’t hurt that badly, but it did go to show that the Gnome could at least do something while shielded.

  * The Shield doesn’t consume a lot of energy by itself but uses more when it stops an impact or even an enemy spell – which will drain it rapidly. It’s meant for extra protection when you’re in trouble or see an attack incoming, and not for constant use.

  * The other enchantment, on the other hand, is best used in short bursts and you’ll have to keep your hand on the activation rune because you’ll not be able to “lock” it. It’s also on your right side because it’ll leave your left hand free to control your Machine’s left arm. Now, stick your construct’s left arm out and we’ll see if Violet and I set up the enchantment correctly. *

  Felbar hesitated as he reached up to the activation rune, and Sandra nearly giggled at the look on his face as he likely remembered the “mistake” she had made earlier. Fortunately for him, Sandra had learned from that and Violet had double-checked everything before she approved of its safety. With a shrug, Felbar closed his eyes and pressed down on the rune sequence.

  A cone of fire erupted out of the end of the warhammer, starting from its tip and extending almost 10 feet before dissipating. The noise of crackling flames made him open his eyes and stare at the flames coming from nowhere, and he began to giggle himself as he moved his War Machine’s arm around, making the cone of fire go where he wanted.

  * Oh, good – it didn’t even explode this time! *

  Felbar froze for a moment and gave a half-hearted grunt at Sandra’s poor excuse for a joke.

  * Anyway, we’ve determined that you can keep that going for about 20 seconds before it starts heating up your Warhammer too much; after 30 seconds, the hammer will probably start to deform a little; at a minute, the Titanium will likely start to melt. Like I said, this is best used in short bursts, otherwise you’ll have to wait a while for the hammer to cool down again before you even use it to attack with. Not only that, but the Flame Cone enchantment uses a lot of energy, so you have approximately 10 minutes of full use before the Cube runs out. We would’ve put large Cubes in for these enchantments, but then you’d have a lot less room to move. *

  The flames cut off after just over 20 seconds of Felbar playing with them, and the warhammer was noticeably hot, with waves of heat flowing off of it. After having done so much blacksmithing lately, Sandra could tell that another second or two and the entire thing likely would’ve started to change color from the heat.

  “This is…this is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Thank you,” Felbar said, a hitch in his throat as he appeared to be holding back tears.

  * You’re welcome, but you can also thank Violet for helping a massive amount with those enchantments. Anyway, head back inside and get out of that thing – we have a lot to talk about. *

  He looked disappointed, but he turned the War Machine around and jumped back down to the workshop. By the time it was parked, and he was out, the others had arrived.

  Chapter 26

  * I’m going to keep this as brief as possible, because we have a lot we need to get to. Which brings me to my first question: how many of you are willing to help me do this? While this is my dungeon and I control the different things in here, I don’t control you. If any of you wish to leave, you can do so whenever you like. I appreciate whatever help you’re willing to give to eliminate this threat once and for all, though. *

  Sandra thought that it was the best idea to give them an out if they wanted it, because she didn’t want them to do something they had no desire to do. Now that the War Machine was done as they had agreed, Violet had already helped with quite a few of the enchantments that the Dungeon Core had wanted done; at the same time, Sandra had practiced a lot more and could actually create a lot of the easier enchantments by herself. She was pretty sure she could do most of the others that she still had planned if necessary, so if the Gnomes wanted to leave, they could go with her blessing.

  Echo was only there to deliver Energy Orbs to her village and her people, though she had been a great help in teaching Sandra how to manipulate elemental energy well enough to cast some spells. The Elf didn’t have to do any of that, though the Dungeon Core certainly appreciated all that she did; that being said, there was no obligation for her to continue helping.

  Gerold was newly added to her Visitor’s list and had been around her dungeon for less than a day, in fact, so Sandra didn’t expect much enthusiasm from the Dwarf. He had just been essentially exiled from his home, and it wasn’t likely that he was up to helping, considering the circumstances.

  Sandra shouldn’t have been surprised by their responses, but, nevertheless, she was.

  “We’ve already talked about it and Violet and I are seeing this through; the undead were our responsibility, so we’re staying until the situation is taken care of – which means that dungeon is destroyed, obviously,” Felbar stated first without hesitation. “When it’s gone, then we’ll take the wagon back to Gnomeria and discuss with those in charge about you and what you have to offer with some cooperation. The only thing is….” He trailed off, visibly searching for words.

  * What is it? *

  “Well…I want to go with you when you destroy this dungeon; I want to see it through to the end.”

  * That’s extremely dangerous, Felbar. When I sent my constructs against that Reptile-based Core, every single one of them perished and I almost didn’t succeed. This Undead Core is much stronger, has more Mana available, and therefore I would only assume will be much harder to destroy. That, and it probably knows I’m coming for it, so it’s had time to prepare.

  * Not only that, but there’s no way the War Machine will fit down into the dungeon, so I don’t know what you’re planning on doing there. *

  He didn’t seem to be persuaded by her warning. “That’s completely understandable and I understand the risks, but it’s something I feel I need to do,” he said confidently. “As for the War Machine not fitting, I’m well aware of that – which is why Violet thinks with your help, we can make a Deep Delver.”

  It took Sandra a moment to remember Violet’s mention of a special Gnome construct made for destroying dungeons back when they first met. The Apprentice Enchanter at the time had never worked with one and barely even knew what they looked like, so there hadn’t really been a point in asking about it before this.

  “The War Machine is specially designed to cull dungeon monsters outside of the dungeon, where they can take advantage of the space and can match just about anything they come across,” Violet explained, taking a cue from the other Gnome to speak. “The Deep Delver is very different from that, as it’s approximately 5 feet tall and made entirely of steel; it’s also much more agile, allowing whoever’s piloting it to move quickly to avoid danger – which is important, because it is also not as…tough…as the War Machine.”

  “I piloted one in my youth, before all of the troubles we’ve been experiencing lately,” Felbar said, continuing the explanation. “I was one of 120 others that went into a Goblin dungeon that was getting way too powerful to easily cull anymore, and which had expanded its territory to encompass one of our smaller villages – unbeknownst to us. It was only after multiple disappearances that we discovered what had happened, so the Dungeon Destroyer Brigade – of which I was one – was dispatched to destroy it before it could cause any more problems.

  “Only 92 of us made it back from that expedition, which was actua
lly one of the best results over the last few decades, if you can believe that,” the older Gnome said while looking off in memory. He shook his head after a moment and then continued. “So, yes, they aren’t nearly as powerful as the War Machines, but they are a heck of a lot better than just me going in there with a knife expecting to kill some undead. So, we’d like your help and permission to build one, so that I can at least contribute some.”

  Sandra wasn’t exactly sure what to think about that. She didn’t want him unnecessarily risking his life, but she also knew that it was his life to do with as he pleased. Hmm…perhaps this might actually coincide with my overall plan of cooperation between the races; I always knew that it was probably only going to happen with my help, so I guess it has to start somewhere.

  “If you can make me one as well, I’d like to go with you into that dungeon,” Gerold suddenly said. Sandra had been automatically translating everything the Gnomes were saying to the others, but his statement was so unexpected that it took her a moment to figure out what he was saying – and to translate it to the other three.

  * What? Why? *

  “Because it’s my village that’s in danger, and despite their refusal to listen to me, I still want to do whatever I can to stop them from being overrun and killed. That being said, without my armor, I’m pretty useless; hearing about this ‘Deep Delver’, though, I think that could be just the thing to allow me to do…something.”