“Alright, stand back and let me do my thing,” Fyola abruptly said, striding towards the stone block purposefully. Wyrlin suspected he knew what she was about to do, but the sheer energy and focus needed to do it was so far out of his range that it was hard to comprehend.
She stood in front of the second entrance for a few seconds, staring intently at the stone wall blocking them from access. Suddenly, she raised her hands and pointed them towards the obstacle in their way and a giant stream of brown Earth energy shot out and collided with the wall; with a twist of her wrists like she was trying to wrench something and a snarl on her face that made her even less attractive to Wyrlin – he didn’t even think that was possible – he heard a giant crack that reverberated over the wasteland valley and slightly hurt his ears. He looked at the stone block and saw a massive crack in the middle, which widened significantly even as he stared at it. Within 30 seconds, the crack covered the entire surface of the stone…and then with another painful snap, the block crumbled apart, falling inwards towards the massive tunnel that was swiftly revealed.
Fyola sagged as she fell to her knees, breathing hard from the incredible amount of energy she had just spent. Wyrlin was suddenly glad he hadn’t tried to kill the Elite before this, because the display of power frankly frightened him. He couldn’t even imagine what she could do in her defense if her life were on the line.
“See…I told you,” she panted out, before getting to her feet. “Now, let’s go,” she said, smiling cruelly at Wyrlin. That smug little— She knows exactly how impressive that was, and I can’t even say anything. I can’t even imagine being able to control that much energy.
Rothgar shouted a command in Orcish and teams of Warriors strode forth over the massive blocks of shattered stone and into the tunnel awaiting them. Shortly after nearly 300 of them went inside, Wyrlin and the other Elves followed behind. As he picked his way over the pieces of the wall that had been blocking them, he couldn’t help but notice that it was only perhaps a foot thick. It seemed like a thin protection if it were supposed to keep people out, though it wasn’t like he’d seen one shattered before, so this might just be normal. Regardless, he couldn’t help but be fascinated as he walked inside a dungeon for the first time.
The stone was smooth, as if it were carved with something other than tools, showing a perfection that appeared impossible to achieve unless someone used something like elemental Energy. Wyrlin intuitively knew that this was precisely what was used, or at least some sort of energy analog, to create the entrance. He had honestly really questioned exactly what it was that made these dungeons work, and even how there seemed to be an endless number of monsters that roamed the forests; if they used energy, though, then it made a little more sense to him. He thought he might be able to use his own Earth energy to do it, but only on a ridiculously small scale; not even Fyola would likely be able to do more than a few feet of a tunnel this size.
He suddenly realized why it took an experienced group of Elites to destroy a dungeon, and even then it wasn’t guaranteed. To take down something that could build this was almost incomprehensible to someone like him, who didn’t have quite the power or control over his Element like the Elites with him did.
But it’s more than just Elites with us – we have thousands of Orcs, too. Suddenly, as if his thoughts about them caused them harm, Wyrlin heard screams of pain and rage erupting from behind him and outside the entrance. He turned back to help, but Rothgar was there in front of him, putting his hand out.
“It looks like the dungeon finally decided to attack us. Don’t worry, we have plenty of Warriors available to take care of them – there can’t be that many. Let’s keep going because every minute of delay gives them another minute to spawn more monsters.”
Wyrlin was slightly torn on whether to help those outside and continuing on, but the thought that this was all a delaying tactic in order to create more monsters made his decision for him. He looked around and estimated that about 500 Orc Warriors were with them inside the secondary entrance, along with his entire group of Rangers – and Fyola and the other Elites, of course. This should do well enough. “Fine – let’s kill this thing and get out.”
With determination in their hearts, the screams of the dying and the roaring of the monsters outside echoing in their ears, and with their weapons in their hands or spells at the ready, Wyrlin and the others journeyed deeper into the dungeon entrance. Not once did he stop and think why the metal monsters outside were roaring.
Chapter 37
It was a fortunate set of circumstances that led the invading army of Orcs and Elves to attack Sandra’s Roc tunnel instead of her main entrance. First, she did what she could to seal up the roof of the workshop, which looked horrible if she were honest; she couldn’t build all the way to the top because that would be the same as trying to manipulate things aboveground. Instead, she built a stone roof that sat right underneath the massive hole that was created by the Gravitational Devastation Sphere, but it didn’t blend all that well and it was extremely obvious that it didn’t belong. Regardless, it was technically hidden and that – along with the obvious destruction left by the Sphere – aided in the decision by the group to locate and assault her other entrance.
As soon as she heard they were planning on doing that, she immediately sealed up her Roc tunnel with a thin wall of stone. She theoretically could’ve put hundreds of feet of stone inside, but preventing entry wasn’t the point of the wall. If she had left it empty, they probably would’ve thought it was some sort of trick, or a trap – or at least that’s what she would’ve thought. She wanted it to look like there was an effort to hide and seal it up, and that they would have to use some effort to open it up. After seeing the brown color in the robe of what appeared to be the leader of a group of Elite Elves, she knew that she wouldn’t have too much trouble cracking it open. That was exactly what she wanted, too, because if they all entered through her main entrance, her traps and constructs would be quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
When Sandra had first seen them and described what she saw to Kelerim, he had immediately identified the massive Orc in charge as his father, so she could understand – as crazy as it was – why the enormous Warband was there. What she couldn’t figure out was why there were Elves with them, because she thought she had established a relationship with them; it was a bit tenuous, granted, but she didn’t think it warranted helping Kelerim’s father destroy her Core. She was only confused for a short time, because she soon recognized one of the Elves: Wyrlin, the Ranger that had treated Echo so badly and had left to stir up trouble. Obviously, Echo’s estimate that it could take months or years for him to gather enough support was sorely inaccurate.
So, that solved the mystery of why they were all there, if not how they combined forces, but at that point it didn’t really matter. Sandra briefly thought about recalling all of her constructs and Dungeon Monsters helping to defend the entrances to the 4 dungeons in Dwarven and Elven territory, but she held off; she was worried that if she got rid of all the defenders there, the Cores would have very little preventing them from roaming all around their Areas of Influence. She also didn’t pull back her mercenaries to help defend because she didn’t want Orc killing Orc, though she did accept one volunteer to help talk to Kelerim’s father before he made a grave mistake.
That person, Perceine, was currently inside the Roc tunnel near her first room, ready to give a speech to warn them off from attacking her dungeon. She had numerous precautions in place to protect her from retribution, including an insanely powerful Light Shield that was powered by Energy Orbs, and with her ability to move extremely fast with her Air energy, she should be able to escape down the tunnel before any attacks hit her. Plus, the Goblin Foremen were assembled to throw themselves in front of any projectiles or spells thrown her way, so in Sandra’s opinion there shouldn’t be any danger to her.
Everything was going as Sandra had planned, but the tunneling Dungeon Cores weren’t playing nice
. When the whole situation with the invading Orc and Elf army was going on, each of their extensive tunnels were approaching her dungeon. Right around the time they were deciding to attack her secondary entrance, the first of the Cores – the Golems – reached the section right outside of her Home room. While she couldn’t see into their tunnel, she could certainly hear their efforts to find a way through the 2 feet of solid Steel she had covering the entire exterior of the room.
The horrendous bangs of what she assumed were frustrated Golems trying to break through alerted the Dwarven villagers, to whom she hadn’t really mentioned what was going on.
“Sandra, what is that horrible racket?” Glencha asked as she was monitoring her Distilleries. She was the closest to her Home room, and the noise easily reached her.
* Oh, it’s the Golem-Classification Dungeon Core trying to smash their way into my Home room here. They, as well as the Goblin Core near your old village and the two dungeons in the Elven territory, have tunneled towards my dungeon. I don’t think they appreciate my interference in not allowing them to have any Dungeon Monsters outside of their dungeon. *
“Uh…aren’t you worried? And for that matter, what if they try to get in here?” The Distiller looked at the walls as if they were going to start caving in at any time.
* Don’t worry, when I saw them coming, I sealed every room and tunnel in my entire dungeon with solid Steel walls. I’m still finishing the rest of the large tunnel denoting my second entrance, but the rest should be good to go. You have 10 inches of solid Steel protecting you, so I wouldn’t worry too much; if it appears there will be an issue, I may need to move you – but I doubt it will come to that. *
She still seemed unsure, but took Sandra’s explanation and assurance as fact as the Dwarf tried to ignore the banging and continued with her work. As for the Dungeon Core, she could see the outside of the Steel wall in her Home room starting to slightly deform, but it was more cosmetic damage than anything else. At least, at first; after about a minute, even louder bangs could be heard and the aesthetically pleasing stone layer she had along the inside of her room started to crack from the pressure behind.
Fortunately, her abilities as a Dungeon Core allowed her to repair the stone easily with a small application of Mana; as for the Steel wall, it started to bend inwards a little from whatever was constantly attacking it, but after another 5 minutes the banging stopped when there wasn’t much more progress made in actually getting through the wall. Sandra thought they had given up too early, because she could just imagine that a day or more of constant banging would probably allow them access. Of course, if they indeed tried that, she would keep adding layers of Steel from the inside, making it even harder for them to get in. Regardless of what they tried, Sandra was not going to allow them to force their way in her Home.
They were going to have to use the front door like everyone else. Or the back door, at least, which the Orcs and rebel Elves were going to be using soon.
When there was no progress being made by the Golems, using her vision of her Area of Influence she saw them digging all around their tunnel, seeing Steel walls everywhere they tried. The Goblins arrived soon after and tried in a completely different spot on the outside of her Home room, and then one of the nearby tunnels, but all they found was Steel as well. They didn’t have nearly the same sort of power to smash into and deform the Steel walls as the Golems did, so they were a whole lot less effective and gave up within a minute of trying.
The Beasts arrived next and attempted to scratch and slam their way inside, but even with what she assumed was one of the massive green-furred Monsters trying to claw its way inside, they weren’t having much luck. Its sharp claws might have been able to completely shear through a tree trunk, but solid Steel was something else entirely; Sandra could see gouges made in the metal after a while, but since the entire face of it wasn’t deformed and pushed inwards – like the Golems, who basically “extended” their dungeon tunnel – she was able to repair the damage almost instantly.
What worried her the most was when the Slimes attacked, because she had already seen that their acidic nature could eat through metal after a while. However, when they were only about 100 feet from reaching her dungeon with their tunnel, they suddenly started to tunnel at an angle towards the surface, along with the other Cores – at the exact same time.
Ok, Winxa, I’m convinced that now they are all communicating somehow. I wonder, are the enhancements they are receiving allowing them to speak to each other somehow?
“I…am not aware of that being something they could do. You have to remember, it’s been many, many years since there has been any serious incidence of these enhancements taking place and I can’t remember if that was part of them.” The Dungeon Fairy could only raise her hands in supplication, looking apologetic.
That’s ok, Winxa. It doesn’t really matter now; if I know that if something happens to one of them, then all of them will find out shortly thereafter, then that will help me with my plans. She wasn’t sure how that would help, but at least knowing had to be a benefit. Right?
Regardless of their mysterious ability to communicate, the immediate problem wasn’t necessarily that the Cores were tunneling to the surface, it was where they were tunneling to the surface that concerned her. Instead of angling to emerge near her main entrance, they were instead aiming for her secondary entrance.
This isn’t good.
The army of Orcs and Elves were walking into an ambush, but it wasn’t one of Sandra’s making. By the time she realized where the Cores were going, the people trying to destroy her Core were already at her stone wall sealing up her Roc tunnel. As she had suspected, the Elite Elf leader, whose name she hadn’t been able to overhear quite yet – despite having Clockwork Tarantulas hidden everywhere over the landscape hiding perfectly still and listening in – used her Earth elemental energy to shatter her temporary obstacle so they could get inside. It was actually an impressive use of her energy in the form of a powerful spell, and not for the first time Sandra wished she were a little more adept at casting spells through her Shapeshifters than she was. She could do some of the simple things that Echo had shown her, but more complex spells were a bit more hit and miss; she’d much rather craft enchantments to some of the same things.
* Perceine, just a warning. The tunnels that the dungeons were creating towards my own dungeon couldn’t get inside, so now they are apparently going to attempt to come through my secondary entrance. You know, where you’re standing right now, and an army of your people are trying to come in? *
For the first time, a flash of pure fear overcame the Orc mercenary’s face, but it was gone in a flash; if Sandra wasn’t looking right at her, she probably would’ve missed the raw emotion’s appearance.
“I saw and heard the wall collapse, so they will be here soon. Do you want me to move up?” Perceine asked, looking around at the lifeless-looking Goblin Foremen that were surrounding her for extra protection.
* No, I want you safe. I’m bringing in the other mercenaries to help out, as well as the Elven Rangers and Dwarven Shieldmen. As much as I loathe that they want to kill me, nor do I want them all slaughtered unnecessarily. *
“It was their choice to come here, so it’s their choice to die.”
* That’s a grim way to look at it, but I can’t say I disagree. However, I would still rather not have to kill them all, because your land can’t afford to lose so many of your people, and a Warlord as well. *
“Wait, you didn’t mention that there was a Warlord out there,” Perceine suddenly said, as Sandra watched the first few Orc Warriors climb over the rubble of the stone wall. “Do you know which one it is?”
* It’s the Bloodskull Warlord, for sure, but I have to admit that I forgot to ask what his first name is. *
Another flash of fear suffused Perceine’s face for a moment before she composed herself. “I’ve heard that the Bloodskull Warlord is known to be fairly reasonable if he’s in a good mood, but when
he wants something badly enough he cannot be deterred. Why would he be here in the first place?”
* Uh, well, I’m afraid that’s my fault. His son, Razochek, decided that I needed to be destroyed as well, and though I tried to deter him, I was forced to kill him when he invaded my dungeon. *
Sandra left Kelerim out of the conversation there, because although the Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc had technically done the deed, it was all basically because of Sandra that it had happened in the first place.
“Oh, well, I guess that explains it.” The mercenary squared her shoulders up and waited for the invaders to arrive.
Shortly after the Elven rebels, Kelerim’s father, and approximately 500 Orc Warriors entered the Roc tunnel, the 4 hostile Dungeon Cores finished their newest additions to their own tunnels and emerged onto the surface. Whether they knew there would be a meal waiting for them up there was a moot point, because as soon as they caught sight of 3,000 Orcs slowly trying to file into the secondary entrance, they swarmed to the feast with only a few seconds of hesitation.
The Orc Warriors, despite having no warning of the attack, rallied remarkably well. Wielding only slightly better Iron swords than the ones she saw most of the local Warbands using, they immediately counterattacked with the same sort of savagery that Sandra was accustomed to seeing in her mercenaries. Beasts were hacked apart with wild abandon, sometimes literally ripped apart with bare hands; Goblins were swarmed in turn, delimbed and decapitated with occasional joy on the faces of the Warriors as they did it; Slimes were attacked so quickly and thoroughly that they were split into dozens of pieces as their nuclei were destroyed; most of the Golems were hacked apart as well, though the process was very rough on the Orc’s weaponry.
The Crafter's Darkness: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 4) Page 41
